The New Guardian
by redroses100
Summary: A hundred years after Jack Frost helped the Guardians defeat Pitch Black, the Boogeyman has arisen again. MiM calls on Auryn Autumn, the changer of summer to autumn, to help them defeat Pitch. However it may be the reformed Bloody Mary, who trails along after Auryn, that makes the difference this time.
1. Chapter 1

Jack frost looked down at the snowball fight happening and smiled. He was perched on the highest branch of a snow coated pine tree, where the projectile objects wouldn't hit him. As much as he liked snowball fights, he didn't like being in them. Not after Jamie died twenty years ago. He lived a long life, but age finally did what it did best and caught up with Jack's mortal friend. He had hoped, for a moment, that Man in the Moon would somehow make Jamie a Guardian as well...but no. No Guardian had been made since he had a hundred years ago.

He toyed with his staff and glanced up at the sky. He should probably be getting back to the North Pole. North said he had something important to tell him. But the kids were still having so much fun.

"Just a little longer." Jack decided, kicking his feet up onto the branch with the rest of him. He alternated between looking down at the kids and up at the sky. He chuckled slightly as one kid got pegged right in the face by his friends snowball, then almost fell off the tree when he looked back up.

Brilliant streaks of green and pink lit up the sky. Invisible to all but the Guardians. North was calling them. In an instant Jack was up and racing towards the Pole. Flying as fast as he could, he was still the last to get there. Though the Tooth Fairy was only barely before him. They all waited for Jack, standing around the Guardian's symbol on the floor. North looked shell shocked, they all knew something had happened to make him so surprised. Something big.

"What is it?" Jack demanded, walking right up to the man he considered to be his father at this point.

"Pitch had reawaken Jack. His shadow covered globe and the entire palace shook with his haunting laughter. He is back and he is stronger." North looked on the verge of crying. Jack too donned the shocked look, but recovered quickly and looked up at the sky at the Man in the Moon. The last time Pitch had awoken, Jack had been chosen by the Man in the Moon as the newest Guardian. If Pitch was indeed stronger now, what could the five do, they'd come so close to being defeated last time.

"What will we do?" Tooth asked lightly, her feathery face paling a little bit. Bunnymund stood tall and rigid, not saying anything. And Sandy slouched over slightly in disbelief. Jack kept looking at the Man in the Moon, begging him to give them an answer. Sandy, sort of recovering from his dazed slump, followed Jack's gaze and became excited when he realized the moon was looking down at them. He tried to get the others attention, but they were all looking down at their feet or away from Sandy.

"I got this one Sandy." Jack whispered, seeing the little guy's plight. "North, Tooth, Bunny. The Moon." He pointed out. They immediately perked up a little. The pale moonlight stretched into the room, across the floor, and the panel opened to reveal the blueish crystal.

"A new Guardian." North observed. Of course, it had to be. The five had almost failed last time. Only a new Guardian could help them against Pitch this time. But the frail looking figure who appeared above the crystal was one that none of them could identify.

"Uh, guys...I don't know about you...but the Man in the Moon may be drawing a blank this time." Bunny said quietly. North scowled at him.

"Nonsense. Man in Moon knows exactly what he's doing." He said firmly.

"Who is she?" Tooth was the first to actually ask. Jack only stared at the beautiful face in the projection. Her hair, though he could not see color in it, was wavy and reached the end of her back. She had large eyes, full of feeling, and small lips. The girl was little in general. She couldn't be older than Jack was, and the shirt she wore, obviously one for a man, swam on the feeble thing. It had to be three or four sizes larger than her. But she looked comfortable. And beneath it were gray jeans, probably the only pair she had by the look of it. She was thin and short and looked very fragile. But she was also alarmingly beautiful.

Suddenly the image changed. The girl disappeared and in her place a figure stood. With no discernible features or hair, no one could identify this one either. There was no face, no fingers or toes. It was like an artists mannequin but more humanoid.

"Hello friends. It is I, the Man in the Moon." The figure spoke before anyone had found their voices.

"Oh, perfect timing Moon. So who's this new Guardian?" Jack immediately diving into the subject, apparently not surprised with this new arrival.

"Her name is Auryn Autumn. She is not yet an Immortal, but she will be. And her assistance will be needed by you in this your darkest hour."

"But I've never heard of an Auryn. I know everyone, every child is a dot on that globe, and I've never brought her anything for Christmas." North protested.

"Oh another Naughty Lister, alright." Jack said sarcastically.

"No Jack, she's not on either list." North said shortly. Jack wrinkled his brow in confusion.

"But, everyone is one on of the lists. Everyone."

"It's true. I've never collected any teeth for Auryn. Moon, who is she?" Tooth demands. Moon simply stood for a moment or two before stepping off the crystal and walking towards the globe.

"Did you know he could do that?" Bunny asked North quietly. North only shook his head and watched the pale figure point to a spot on the globe where no lights flickered. North shook his head.

"No one lives there. No lights have flicked there for hundreds of years." He said dismissively. Moon glanced back at them then when he glanced back, a small white light, different from the golden ones representing the other children of the world, glowed from the stark land.

"There are thousands of children in that land. The reason their lights do not flicker here, is that they have never heard of you. And since you have not been Guardian to them for the very reason of them not knowing about you, Auryn has taken the job. She guards the children of that land. And now you must find her." the figure made its way back to the crystal and stood once again to give them one last piece of advice. "Auryn does not speak. But she knows things without words being said. Trust her and she will know what to do." the figure disappeared then, and the crystal sank back into the floor.

The five looked back and forth at each other, not knowing what to do exactly. They knew they should never doubt the Man in the Moon. But for some reason no one quite knew what to do now. Finally Jack cleared his throat.

"I'll go guys. Sandy, you in?" the little golden man nodded enthusiastically and above his head golden sand took the form of an airplane. "We'll be right back guys." The five nodded at each other one more time and the two took off, Jack flying on the air and Sandy flying in a golden airplane.

Above the palace Pitch smiled to himself. He had heard everything said below in the little meeting. So, the Guardians were going to stop him were they? No. Not this time. He had plans for little Auryn Autumn. And when he had her, the Guardians would be powerless to defeat him.


	2. Chapter 2

Pitch smiled to himself as he walked down the street of the sleepy village towards the home where Auryn Autumn slept. He had gotten to the tiny town long before the two pesky guardians, mostly due to his little bit of trickery along the way. What a coincidence that a cry for help could be hear just as they were flying over a dense forest. Pitch smirked thinking about how the two were probably still scratching their heads over the incident.

He sniffed the air, catching the scent of an immortal and grinning sinisterly. Auryn. He glided gently through a wall and found himself in the room of the girl. The next guardian of the children. He looked her over, sleeping soundly, curled in a ball. She was young, still a child herself. With long red hair that waved perfectly over her shoulders, and pale perfect skin. He couldn't help but step closer to the little thing, and then hesitated. She murmured a little in her sleep and rolled over, hugging her pillow to her chest. It made Pitch smile for some reason.

"Pitch Black." he turned in surprise. He was sure he was alone, but suddenly yet another immortal was in the room. The girl who stepped from the shadows was younger by far than both Pitch and Auryn. Covered from head to toe in dried blood, with splotches of fresh red on her chest and hands. She looked at Pitch with dead black eyes and smiled.

"Bloody Mary."

"I never thought I'd see you again Pitch. Didn't they stop believing in the Boogeyman a hundred years ago?" She asked sarcastically.

"Well the last time I heard someone being scared of you was too long ago to put a date on." he snapped back. She laughed.

"If you're here for Auryn, save your strength. She won't be afraid of you." Mary sighed dismissively, looking gently at the young girl curled up in bed.

"How would you know about Auryn?" Before Mary could reply, the door flew open and a sobbing child ran in. Auryn, roused from sleep by the commotion, sat up and held her arms open for the child. Mary quickly grabbed Pitch and pulled him back through the wall and out onto the street.

"You don't want her to see you Pitch."

"Why not?"

"Her eyes are much to powerful for you." Pitch wanted to ask what the heck she was talking about, but figured he should probably wait for her to explain. He instead peaked back into the little room and watched Auryn silently comfort the child. "She's certainly an interesting child isn't she. The only one in the village who can see immortals."

"Why?"

"She's special. From her very beginnings. Her mother was a healer who came to this village to help the children. Father Autumn, you remember him don't you, fell in love with the healer and she became pregnant. The mother died in childbirth so the village mother took in Auryn. She's been the keeper of the Autumn Book for several years now."

"_The_ Autumn book?"

"The one that holds the spell that changes the leaves and cools the winds." Mary nodded.

"How do you know so much about Auryn?"

"I came here many years ago looking to regain some power. I hoped that if even one child could see me, the domino could start going. But when I realized Auryn could see me, it was not the desired look. Instead of fear, she just looked at me. Look at her eyes for a moment Pitch." He cautiously looked back to the girl, now holding the calmed down child on her knee. He looked at her eyes, and was shocked at the dark rich red color he saw. "Those eyes have the power to make things happen. When she looked at me...i felt warm...for the first time in a long time. So I decided to stay in the village and find out more about this girl."

"Does she know why she can see us? Or why she has the book, or anything?"

"Yes. She knows everything."

"With such power she could easily be more important than the Sandman and North! Why does she stay in this little village?" He asked incredulously.

"Because she loves it." Mary said simply, putting an hand on Pitch's arm. "You can't take her away from the village."

"And why not?"

"She is the reason the Guardians do not know about these children. She keeps them safe by keeping all immortals out of the village. When she first started communicating with me, she made it very clear that she would do anything for the children."

"Communicating, but she doesn't speak."

"Not with words. I told you her eyes are special. I came to this village looking to feed off of fear. Instead I found a friend. She loves even me Pitch. She's not afraid, she's concerned about me." Pitch noticed the way Mary looked into the room, affectionately gazing at Auryn. He too looked at the girl, as she picked up the child and let him join her in her bed to sleep.

"I'm sorry, but I came here to destroy the Guardians not take pity on a child just because she's nice." He finally snapped.

"I know. But if you intend to take Auryn I must go with you." He turned to look at the kid again. Though she was just a little thing, Bloody Mary had been around longer than even Pitch Black. He nodded eventually.

"The Guardians have sent the Sandman and Jack Frost to induct her. They'll be here soon. We must take her now." Mary nodded and silently slipped into the little cottage. While the child Auryn had been comforting was already asleep, the half immortal was still awake. Auryn smiled gently at Mary and made a motion to be quiet, even though the child would not be able to hear Mary. Only Auryn could see or hear her.

"Auryn we have to speak." Mary ignored the plea to be silent and spoke. Auryn cocked her head to side in confusion, but gently stirred the child. With one last hug and a meaningful look from Auryn's magic eyes, the child skipped off. Auryn looked from the closed door back to Mary. Then, much to her surprise, a new face appeared in her one room home. A dark man with an evil glow about him. Mary had once had that glow, but Auryn saw behind the hurt and made her better. So who was this new immortal?

"Hello." the man spoke. Auryn just nodded to the man. She wasn't sure if she particularly liked this friend of Mary's.

"This is Pitch Black. He's the Boogeyman." Auryn cocked her head again. She'd never heard of such a creature, but she'd never heard of Bloody Mary either.

"There are people coming for you Auryn. They want to take you away from your village. From your children." Pitch spoke ominously. Auryn narrowed those blood red eyes and it sent a shiver down Pitch's spine. He liked this girl.

_They can't have the children._

Pitch was confused at the voice. Auryn did not speak. But he heard her all the same. Her eyes were locked on his, and he was sure this was what the Man in the Moon had meant when he said she couldn't speak but could at the same time. It was slightly unnerving.

"You must come with us. To protect them from the immortals coming for you." Pitch pressed on. But Auryn's eyes were still narrowed into a glare. She didn't trust this boogeyman. "Please Auryn we have to hurry, before they get here." She slowly shook her head. In an instant his pretense was dropped. It surprised even Mary how quickly he reverted to a darker nature. A dark shadow, darker than a moonless night, instantly settled over the room. A fine dust stirred and rested over Auryn. Mary had never seen such a sight.

"What did you do?!" She demanded of Pitch when Auryn fell limp on her bed. Mary rushed forward and held the little girl in her arms.

"She's asleep. Give her to me." He approached the two, and Mary reluctantly let Pitch pick up the unconscious girl.

"Not so fast Pitch." The boogeyman growled to himself and turned to see Jack Frost and the Sandman standing in the doorway. Jack had his staff outstretched.

"You have a bad habit of interfering in my plans Jack." He hissed.

"Put her down." Jack demanded.

"Pitch he could hurt her!" Mary said protectively, snatching Auryn from the King of Nightmares and carrying her back to her bed. Pitch wanted to demand what Mary thought she was doing, but he was busy with the other two immortals before him.

"So you figured out my trick."

"Pretty sneaky actually. But it seems not sneaky enough." Sandy wandered over to Auryn and Mary to observe the nightmare Pitch had cast on the girl. Surprisingly nothing appeared in the black dust over her. Sandy scratched his head but shrugged and touched the sand, making it gold instead of black. Pitch growled and pulled an arrow out of nowhere. But Jack was quick to freeze the deadly sand.

"You can go now." he snapped at the boogeyman.

"I'll be back."

"I expect so." Pitch looked once again at Auryn, then at Mary. It was clear that the little demon wouldn't be joining with him after all. She would follow Auryn to whichever side the half immortal chose to fight for. And at the moment, it looked like neither. Pitch disappeared into the shadows with an angry growl in his throat. Jack watched the shadow where Pitch had vanished for another minute before joining Mary and Sandy by the little girl who would be the newest Guardian.

"Thanks for helping us." Jack said to Mary. She looked up at the winter spirit and shrugged.

"I was really helping Auryn. I won't let anyone hurt her, just so you know." Jack nodded at the blood drenched demon. What was so special about Auryn that she could change an evil spirit into the most loyal calm friend?

"Hey we should get her to the north pole. Pitch could come back at any time with nightmares." Jack prompted. Sandy nodded, finding that there were no dreams in the golden sand, just as there were no nightmares in the black sand.

"I don't know." Mary said hesitantly. "She loves this village so much. She won't be very happy that you're taking her out without her permission."

"Well it's just...we're all a little curious about her. We've never hear of her before, not even the Tooth Fairy who knows everyone."

"It's because Auryn's never lost a tooth. Her dad was an immortal so she's not a normal kid." She explained. Sandy made an exaggerated 'OH' face and nodded knowingly.

"Well still, she doesn't have dreams. Or nightmares. That's something the guys have got to hear. Please, couldn't you try and make her understand it's for the good of the village that she comes with us to the North Pole." Before Mary could reply, Sandy made a big show that Auryn wouldn't wake up for a few hours.

"Well, if you think it's what's best for Auryn..." Mary eventually nodded. Jack then scooped up the tiny girl and placed her with Sandy in his airplane.

"Can you...i mean...what's your mode of transportation?" He asked Mary. She shrugged.

"I just kinda stick around Auryn."

"Okay hop on my back." she obliged after a second of hesitation. "Let's go guys. To the North Pole."


	3. Chapter 3

Mary looked around as wonder as Jack flew her into the North Pole. Auryn hadn't woken up yet, but she did look more peaceful than previous. So Mary took a moment to take in the awe of the majestic place. It was all so magical and homely.

"Sandy, let me carry her." she snapped back into reality at Jack's voice. Sandy carefully handed off Auryn to Jack, who seemed to blush as the unconscious girl stirred a little and put her arms around him, before settling again. "So, let's go put her in bed I guess." they began walking, stopping to talk to some yeti's as they went. The yeti's pointed them down a hall and Jack started walking again.

"How do you understand them?" Mary asked curiously.

"A hundred years of stickin around North and them." he explained.

"Weird." Jack simply shrugged. Just before reaching an open room, Tooth came into view, and stopped for good minute to stare at the unusual gathering. Jack was holding the unconscious Autumn Spirit bridal style in his arms, and Sandy was floating along beside a girl positively covered in dried blood. She stood gaping until Jack was right next to her.

"You look like you've never seen a procession of immortals before." he joked with a wink. She blushed at the wink, and hesitantly followed along after them, sending one of her fairy's to get North and Bunny.

"Did you run into trouble?" Tooth asked.

"Pitch beat us there, but the worst he did was knock her out." Jack explained.

"And, who's this?" She asked, nodding towards the other newly arrived girl.

"I'm Mary. Bloody Mary. Auryn is my best friend...I couldn't let her come here alone." She explained, looked again at the sleeping girl.

"I see...aren't you...well that is to say...i would have guessed you to be more for the dark side of the force." Tooth joked, referring to her favorite mortal movie...Star Wars. Jack gave Tooth a look though. He obviously didn't think it was appropriate to bring up past alliances. Obviously if Bloody Mary had helped them keep Auryn from Pitch then she was good.

"I used to be evil. On the same level as Pitch even. But Auryn completely changed me. I owe her my happiness, my life. So I vow to protect her." She explained proudly.

"Is she here?!" the loud Russian voice that interrupted them made Mary jump sightly. She went to stand protectively by Auryn, taking the _still_ unconscious girls hand. A man in a massive red coat, and a six foot tall bunny came rushing in, assessing the situation. Jack and Sandy to one side of the sleeping Autumn Spirit. Tooth and a Blood coated girl to the other side. All eyes went to Auryn for a moment, all trying to _will_ her awake. But she was comfortably sleeping still, the golden dust simply swirling around. No dream had yet to take a fancy in the girl's mind. It confused Sandy, almost to the point of annoyance.

"North, Bunny...this is Bloody Mary. But...the nice one." Tooth finally introduced the spare girl. She smiled shyly.

"A pleasure." North, despite being apprehensive, kissed her hand and smiled warmly.

"She helped us get Auryn away from Pitch." Jack explained when Bunnymund looked at him.

"And...i have information about why he wants her. If it will help Auryn that is..." She let off. All the Guardians looked at each other in disbelief. None of them understood. A half immortal with a demon as a protector and best friend. This was getting very odd.

"Of course. This way. My yetis will look after Auryn." North nodded to the large beasts and led the way out of the room. Mary walked between Bunny and Jack, looking around, again in awe, as they went. Tooth fluttered next to Sandy and North, and took a seat on a high beam once they reached North's workshop. She was curious about Auryn, but only mildly. She would listen to Mary from above instead of crowd the girl like the others, who were intent on finding out what made the Autumn Spirit so special.

"So...who is Auryn Autumn exactly?" Bunny asked the question, to get them started. Mary settled into a seat, prepared to explain the nature of her friend.

"She's the daughter of Father Autumn and a mortal woman. Her mother died during Auryn's birth and her father is never around. She's been the charge of the village mother for some time. Once she was old enough to live alone, she _became_ the village mother. All the children go to her for comfort, and any who are sick go to her for a healers remedy. She keeps the village safe by keeping away immortals. Mostly she does it for the children, but also because she resents her father."

"Okay question." Bunny but in. "By keep the village safe...what do you mean exactly? We're immortals and we're not dangerous."

"She keeps the village neutral. No good immortals, or bad immortals have any hold on the village. Neither side has staked a claim because neither side know of it's existence. Had The Man in the Moon not told you about the village, you may have never known. Neither would Pitch, nor any evil spirit. I myself _only_ found it on accident."

"I suppose that makes sense. But...i still don't get it. She's half immortal and loved by her village. But why does that make her Guardian material?" Tooth put in from her perch.

"Auryn will not always be so insignificant. Every end of summer a book appears by her bed to be read on a certain date. One passage. The only words I've ever heard her speak. It is the passage that brings Autumn to the world. Her father sends her the book every late summer. He needs her to be comfortable with bringing Autumn because he intends for her to be the next Spirit of Autumn. He wished to leave this life and give his title to his child."

"So Pitch doesn't want her to be Autumn?" Jack guessed.

"He absolutely detests the thought of it. Once Father Autumn has...retired...he hopes there will be no one to assume the role of Autumn."

"But why?" Bunny asked. Sandy too had a giant question mark above his head, and though the other two did not have expressive sand, the curiosity was evident on all their faces.

"Autumn is a sign to the world. It tells people to harvest for winter. It prepares them for the dead times. And it initiated the time for gaining knowledge. Schooling starts, children learn. But if there were no Autumn...if the world was plunged instantly from Summer to Winter...everyone would suffer. Crops would not be collected. People would be hungry and _afraid_. Pitch wants Auryn so he can stop Autumn and monopolize on that fear." She stated dramatically. A silence settled over the workshop, all the immortals digesting the explanation.

The soft sound of feet on the stone floors drew their attentions from the dark plot to the doorway. A yeti stood in the massive threshold, being led by a young beautiful girl. Her hair shone like the fiery sunset. Her skin a beautiful tanned color, like the gold of a mature Gila apple. And most startling, her eyes were the red of ripe leaves. Auryn Autumn was a striking figure to behold, for all of them. Even Mary was impressed by the girl.

The yeti murmured something unintelligible to North, who nodded the yeti away and smiled at the girl who still stood rigid in the doorway.

"Hello Auryn. Welcome to North Pole." He said grandly. She simply smiled. And without any words being spoken, everyone in the room knew exactly what she replied.

_Thank you. But...I want to go home please. _


	4. Chapter 4

Authors Note: I'm so sorry for the long wait on this chapter! But here it is, and I hope it makes up for it. Just a warning though, this chapter is mostly all about Mary. Her background and just making her a bit more of a main character. I think at this point she's more my OC baby than Auryn is. Anyway, I hope you enjoy!

All the guardians and Mary looked at Auryn like they didn't quite know what to say. They all kinda guessed she would care more about her village than being one of them, but they hadn't even had a chance to explain the situation yet. Mary stood up and walked over to Auryn, on her side no matter what she decided.

"Auryn I realize you must be worried about your village children, but there are millions of children around the world who need your help." Jack said shyly, taking a step towards the regal girl. Auryn raised a delicate eyebrow and looked Jack over before examining the other four Guardians carefully.

_Why do they need my help? _

A shiver went down Jack's spine slightly at the unsettling way she spoke.

"Look Auryn, we were all chosen by the Man in the Moon. The same one who created your father, and by extension you." Tooth started to talk, but a deep scowl ran across Auryn's face when Tooth mentioned her father. But Tooth ignored the scowl and continued. "He chose Jack the last time Pitch rose to power. And now he's chosen you. Obviously there's something important about you and it will hep us keep the kids safe."

"I think what Tooth is trying to say is even MiM thinks we need your help." Bunny butted in when Auryn didn't look impressed.

_Pitch. The man I saw in my home?_

"Yes." Mary answered for them. Auryn looked at her with an obvious question in her eyes. She didn't even need to psychologically ask this one. Mary knew. "We've run into each other a few times over the course of our existences. We've never really seen eye to eye. But he intends to harm the village Auryn." Mary flinched as a fire lit in Auryn's eyes. She was angry, that was rather evident. No one messed with her village.

"He wishes for you not to be Autumn." North interjected.

_But without autumn people wouldn't know to harvest or prepare for winter._

"Exactly." Mary nodded. Auryn made an exaggerated 'OH' face which returned to a little scowl moments later. "Auryn the only way to keep him from his plan is to stop him. Otherwise he'll fight until he's either captured you or killed you. I think you should hear out the Guardians." She explained sheepishly, not wanting to upset her friend. Auryn hesitantly looked from North and Bunny to Jack, then up to Tooth.

_Once he's stopped, I can go home?_

"Absolutely mate." Bunny nodded. Auryn sighed and nodded.

_I'll help you stop him. But in exchange I want my village to be left alone._

"Deal. Right?" Jack said quickly, then looked at the other Guardians expectantly. They all looked a little grumpy about it, but agreed. If staying clear of one little area was what it took to finally be rid of Pitch, they would never even glance at the place.

_Okay, so what's the plan?_

OOOOO

Mary had always thought the whole shower concept was a bit weird. But when the yetis showed her to her room, which was adjacent to Auryn's, they had handed her a towel and a white sleep dress. She hadn't intended to use them, but she wondered if it would make her feel more comfortable. Being here in the North Pole, it reminded her of before she had been made immortal. Back when she was a normal child in a garden with her mother. But back then she hadn't been layered in blood.

She let the water run over her skin, watching it wash away layers of dried blood every second. Until she could only see white skin. No more brown and red. She took shampoo and washed her hair, amazed at the amount of blood that came out of her pale blond hair. And when the water stopped being red, she turned it off and used the towel to dry off. In the mirror of the bathroom she studied her skin, noticing in amazement how much younger she looked without her burden all over her skin.

She pulled on the nightdress, brushed her hair, and left the bathroom. Auryn was in a meeting with the Guardians still, so she would be on her own tonight. It was weird. After three years of waiting around the half immortal, the little demon could hardly imagine spending time alone. So she cuddled up in the bed North had given her and simply stared at the ceiling.

"Cozy isn't it?" She jumped up at the seductive voice, alert to any sign of the tell-tale golden eyes that would accompany it. "Don't worry Mary, I'm not here for Auryn." Pitch materialized from shadows just in front of the girls bed. He smiled devilishly at the now clean immortal. He'd never seen Mary without the blood, but frankly he didn't mind it. Now that she looked more like the child she was when she had been turned immortal, he could more easily prey on her. She may be older than him, but she was weak and starved of power, more content these days to be around Auryn than be believed in. So this would be easy pickings.

"What do you want Pitch?" She demanded, bringing the sheets up to her chin, suddenly feeling exposed under the Nightmare King's eyes. With a slight chuckle, tendrils of Nightmare Sand wove around her arms, tearing them away from her chest and holding them to the bed's posts. She struggled to free her arms, but it was no use.

"You are so close to Auryn. She trusts you. And she wouldn't be to happy to find her friend in distress I think." He smirked as fear filled her eyes. "Oh an immortal afraid of me? I'm touched Mary." He stroked the little things cheek tauntingly.

"What are you going to do?" She asked with a shaky voice. She was afraid she knew the answer. She hadn't had a nightmare in a long time. But they had always been enormously worse for her than any other child. She had so much that could be used against her. So many fears. So many people she cared about in her past life. Pitch knew all of this and just grinned, summoning a little spider out of Nightmares. The insect trailed from his hands, landing on Mary's exposed wrist. She tugged at the restraints, as well trying to shake the deadly creature off of her.

She didn't want to be afraid. She wanted to call for the Guardians. But that was probably exactly what Pitch wanted. She would let him satisfy his lust for fear. And she would do her best to keep her fears in check. Her gaze was so focused on the insect that Pitch couldn't see her eyes. And that was not acceptable to him. After Mary had changed her mind and helped the Guardians, Pitch had been surprisingly hurt by the "betrayal". And now it was time for him to relish in power, as well as make a point to the Guardians. Their homes weren't safe from him. Neither were their friends. Mary would be his example, as well as his toy. He grabbed her face in his gray hand, pointing her terrified eyes at his own.

"I want to see your fear in those eyes." He hissed, making her shudder. She could feel the spiders legs tickling her skin as it slowly made its way from her wrist up her arm. "You could have joined me Mary. You and Auryn could have been equals to me. But you let your weakness control you." He added, digging the tips of his pointed nails into her skin. She whimpered a little at the feeling of pain. Yet another thing she hadn't experienced in a long time.

"You never wanted her to be your equal. You wanted to control her!"

"And I will. Believe me Mary, I will. And if I have to go through you to get to her, I will. With pleasure." He grinned and the spider sunk its fangs into her pale skin, making her eyes roll back into her head. Darkness covered her vision and fear coursed potently through her veins. Pitch inhaled the intoxicating energy of an Immortal's fear. This was truly exquisite. None of the other Guardians were particularly afraid of anything. Not even Jack anymore, now that he knew who he was and had a family and all that crap he spewed. But Mary had plenty of fear to make up for it, and he liked it. It was remarkable how much he found himself enjoying the girls fear.

In her mind Mary ran from angry men, all holding weapons that could kill her. Fire burned around her, screams echoed in her head. Pain ripped threw her limbs as she tried to run, slowing her down. A rock struck her head and she fell, deep into a dark pit. A monster with golden eyes waited, hitting her hard across her cheek. Mocking her and drinking in her sadness. The monster bit into her neck, drinking her blood as well.

Mary awoke then from the short but traumatizing nightmare. It was pain that woke her. Pitch had bitten through the skin of her shoulder and was tasting the girl's powerful immortal blood. He reveled in the sweet taste of terror that coursed through the rich crimson liquid. Mary felt a scream curdling in her throat, but Pitch clamped a hand over her mouth, anticipating her childish reaction to his evil. He continued to suck her blood until she passed out again, nightmares once more plaguing her mind as she squirmed.

Once again Pitch found it remarkable how much he was enjoying this. He felt completely energized, renewed with purpose and life. He felt he could defeat the Guardians with no effort at all. Let them have Auryn, He could care less at this moment. Pitch was stunned as he made the connection in his mind as to the cause of his sudden elation. It must be Mary! Said girl was still moaning weakly in her disturbing dreams, trying to wake herself but to no avail. It was all too beautiful to Pitch.

"Interesting." He murmured. He was about to indulge himself again, but the sound of footsteps approaching knocked him from his reverie and he growled slightly to himself. What was he doing? Sitting around with Mary when he had an attack to prepare! He sighed, realizing he had to leave before the footsteps got much closer. With a smirk at the girl, he waved his hand, releasing her from the sand bonds. With a sadistic grin he kissed the girl on her forehead and whispered a promise in her ear, one he knew she would hear in her troubled subconscious. "I'll see you soon my dear Mary."

He faded into darkness not a moment before the door to Mary's room opened. Bunnymund and Tooth peeked in, trying to decide whether or not they wanted to wake her to explain their plan. Auryn had been a big help in coming up with the concept, but Tooth hadn't really warmed up to the future Spirit of Autumn yet. She liked Mary fine though. And she was about to turn with Bunny to let Mary sleep, but a smudge of red caught her eyes. On Mary's shoulder, a perfect bite mark was weeping slow bubbles of blood. And the girl was breathing heavily, twitching and shaking as an almost imperceptible amount of Nightmare sand danced around her head. Tooth wouldn't have noticed the sand that blended in so well with the darkness of the room, but for the other indication of trouble surrounding the girl. She nudged Bunny, who had also noticed the bite mark, and they both rushed forward.

Bunny slipped a paw beneath her neck and knees, picking up the whimpering kid. They walked quickly to the study where Sandy had remained with North while Jack was taking Auryn to look at the workshop. Both of the other Guardians looked at the arriving duo strangely, before noticing what Tooth and Bunny had. Aster laid the girl down carefully on a plush couch and let Sandy sprinkle sand over her. The golden sparkles chased away any remaining Nightmare sand, and Mary's breathing calmed. Her eyes stopped moving beneath her lids, and her hands unclenched from their previous tensed state.

North stepped up then with some basic first aid tools to clean and bandage the bite mark. He noticed a second, smaller bite not to far off, but it looked like an insect bite. Two tiny punctures, circled slightly by black. He bandaged that one as well, then put Mary's hands together on her stomach and ushered the others out into the hall to talk.

"What do you think happened?" Tooth asked immediately, anxious.

"Pitch." North said darkly.

"Obviously mate. The Nightmare Sand, the bite. But I mean, if he was here why would he go after Mary instead of Auryn?" Bunny absentmindedly rubbed his chin as he thought. They had all assumed Mary would be safe to go and shower and sleep while they worked on their plan. But Pitch had obviously done a number on the poor girl. It made him a little made, and guilty, that they hadn't been able to do something. And he shuddered to think how Auryn would react when she found out!

"Sandy do you think you could find out what he was doing to her?" Tooth asked, still sounding worried for Mary. She really did like the kid, as she was supposed to like children. And Mary seemed so sweet and strong at the same time, standing up for Auryn and managing to stand up to Pitch, at least that was what Jack had said. And she looked so much cuter now that she had washed away that blood! It made Tooth like her that much more, only for Pitch to come along and blemish her pure appearance.

Sandy made a sign that he would try and he and Bunny walked back into the study. Tooth looked at North, who sighed deeply. He didn't like this. Mary was weak, preferring to live off her affection for Auryn rather than the belief of children. And while it was commendable, it was also dangerous for the immortal. Just the fact that the two bites hadn't healed themselves automatically was troubling. But maybe MiM would be able to help! He motioned for Tooth to follow him and walked to the workshop, hoping maybe Manny would communicate with them.

"Hey guys!" They paused as Jack called out to them, running up with Auryn in tow. "Where ya going? What's wrong?" He asked noticing the grave looks on his friends faces.

"Pitch attacked Mary." Tooth said gravely. Auryn's eyes darkened almost immediately.

_Where is she?!_

"This study." North murmured and turned to walk on. Auryn ran off back towards the study, and after a momentary struggle over which way to go, Jack followed the other two. He stood by Tooth as North stepped up to a specific window to look out at MiM. He murmured to himself, seeming to actually get an answer every now and then before murmuring some more. Jack took the silent conversation as an opportunity to get info from Tooth.

"What happened exactly?" He whispered, trying not to disturb North and MiM.

"Bunny and I went to check on her. See if she was still up. I thought she was just sleeping, but she had a bite on her shoulder and there was a trace of Nightmare Sand around her. So we took her to Sandy and he's with her now, trying to see if he can find out what happened between the two of them." She whispered back, looking really uncomfortable suddenly. Jack frowned and hugged the fairy. He realized she probably needed it. She seemed to like Mary more than she liked Auryn for sure. It was probably bothering her that this happened to poor Mary. They kept hugging until North returned from the window.

"Manny says she should be fine. But because she is so weak, she will heal like normal mortals. She is also incredibly fragile. We should keep Pitch away from her." He explained with a heavy sigh. He had been right about her physical status being closer to that of a humans than an immortals. They would need to keep an extra eye on her all the time in case Pitch decided to come back. It made North shudder just to think of Pitch coming back for the poor thing. It would mean he'd found some sort of connection with Mary and he would definitely exploit it, probably use it to fight the Guardians. Or worse to convince Auryn to help him instead of the Guardians. Neither were outcomes North wanted for any of them. But especially for Mary. It wasn't fair to her. She was just trying to be a good friend to Auryn and now she was being targeted by Pitch Black.

"We should go see if she's awake yet." Jack acknowledged, rubbing Tooth's shoulder slightly before leading back to the study. They would do all they could to help her. But at the same time, they had a job to do. And the best way to help Mary, save the children, and get Auryn back home quickly, would be to defeat Pitch. And he was determined to put the Boogeyman in the ground for much longer this time.


	5. Chapter 5

Jack, North, and Tooth were amazed by the scene they found back in the study. Bunny and Sandy stood to the side, both staring wide eyed at Auryn, who was kneeling protectively by Mary. But the thing that had all of them gaping was the fact that Auryn was singing! And not just her usual in her mind trick, her mouth was actually moving and words were actually singing from her lips! They all listened, dumbfounded, to the beautiful lullaby she was singing to the sleeping immortal.

"_Mary, Mary quite contrary, How does your garden grow...With silver bells and cockle shells, and pretty maids all in a row..._"

As she finished the song she looked up at the other arrived Guardians and looked...sad. She looked vulnerable for the first time they'd seen. Even when she'd been asleep, she'd seemed strong and powerful.

"That song...I've heard it before." North noticed.

_It's her. From when she was human. _

They all sighed at the familiar mental way that Auryn spoke. It was a little weird when she actually said things from her mouth, they were all more comfortable with this way.

_When I first met her, she would sing it to me if I couldn't fall asleep. And then, if she fell asleep I would sing it to her too. It chased away her Night Terrors. _

"Wait, Mary has Night Terrors?" Tooth asked, face paling a little.

_Since before she was immortal. And back then, it was her mother who would sing the lullaby to her to put her to sleep._

They all looked at each other awkwardly. Before she was immortal. None of them really liked thinking to much about their lives before they were Guardians. But they couldn't even imagine someone like Bloody Mary having a life before she was made. Auryn seemed to sense this and looked back down at her friend.

_She lived a long time ago. It was just her and her mother. She never knew he father. But she had a garden that she would spend so much time in, as a way to cope with her missing parent. She could grow anything. And she would use her plants and herbs to make remedies for people. She was a healer, a good person. She saved lives with her remedies! But that didn't stop people from calling her a witch. The men in her village came with knives and nooses, intent to be rid of her. When her mother tried to stop them, they killed her right in front of Mary. The poor little girl was covered in blood as they dragged her to the gallows and put a noose around her head. _

_The Man in the Moon took pity on the girl. She had saved so many people, children, adults. He felt she had so much she could still do. But when she woke up, a spirit covered in her mothers blood, she was so angry. She killed every last adult in that horrible village, leaving just the children. She tried to tell herself she was trying to save them from those men who had killed her. But she was just angry. And the children were afraid of her._

_After so many hundreds of years, she became just what they thought she was. An evil little girl covered in blood who scared children. But when I made her my friend...she remembered her mother instead of those horrifying men. She remembered her goodness and how she saved so many. She was the one to teach me how to garden. _

"I...never would have thought..." Jack said quietly when no one else could say anything. Auryn stroked the little girls head, lost in thought of when Mary had first come to the village. She had been desperate to be seen, to be feared and by extension believed in. But now she was so kind and gentle. It pained Auryn to see Mary again hurt by a man.

_I can't help you Guardians._

They all were taken aback by Auryn's statement.

_You said when I agreed to join you that I could help you help children. But so far, the only thing I've done is get my best friend hurt. If I had just stayed out of this, Pitch wouldn't have targeted Mary. I have to take her home._

"No Auryn we need you! Pitch would have come back for you and her anyway. Sandy saw it in the Nightmare Sand that was left behind." Bunny pointed out. Sandy nodded. He made desperately fast picture sentences over his head, but none of them could understand it so quickly. Luckily Bunny had heard it earlier and knew. "Pitch thought you and Mary would be on his side. And then, when Jack and Sandy came to take ya here, Mary rebelled against Pitch, deciding instead to help us keep you safe. And Pitch is angry about it. He's mad that Mary chose us over him, just like Jack did a hundred years ago." Bunny explained.

"Yes, and if he came to torment her tonight for revenge, it will only be a matter of time until he returns for another go." North added.

"If you take her back to your village, you may not be able to protect her, or your other children from Pitch!" Tooth added. Auryn looked at all of them and then back at Mary. She felt incredibly guilty for the condition of her friend. Mary had extremely fragile emotions, and now would probably be a mess if Pitch had preyed on her past memories in a Nightmare. Perhaps it was best that they stay. Still, she couldn't stop her internal argument that getting way from the Guardians was what she needed. Finally she gave up.

_Okay. We'll stay. But the second Pitch comes back for her, I will protect her above any other. _

She warned. They all nodded their agreement, especially North. Now that he knew her back story, about the poor little girl she really was inside, he was feeling all the more protective over the girl who looked only ten.

"We will make sure she is safe." North promised. "One of us will be with her always. And when we are away, the yetis will keep her company."

"Or she can even go to my Warren and paint eggs! If she gets bored, ya know?" Bunny added helpfully. Auryn nodded to the both of them gratefully. They all looked at Mary as she nearly stirred, but not quite. She turned slightly and they all gasped. A portion of her hair was brown, a large streak over her left eye. And her cheeks were slightly pink. North walked forward, moving the sleeve of her dress and carefully pealing back her bandages. Pitch's bite was actually disappearing quickly, but the other one looked worse! It was swollen, with a red tint around the black punctures.

"I...I thought bite would heal just like other one." He said, aghast.

"What is it?" Tooth asked curiously.

"Some sort of insect bite. But the black...it may be Nightmare Sand. A way for Pitch to keep tabs on her." North explained. They all felt their stomachs turn slightly when they heard it. Jack took a moment to look at her closer. She looked...older.

"Auryn, what did she look like? When she was mortal?" He demanded.

_She was small and pale with...brown hair. And blue eyes._

"Nearly exactly the opposite as she looks now." Bunny interjected.

"North what if the Sand is turning her human again. I mean her hair is turning brown, and I bet you anything her eyes are turning blue. And, she's aging before our eyes!" He explained frantically pointing at Mary, who looked around twelve now! North considered it, and in his head he tried to recount all the strange stories he'd ever heard regarding such a topic. It had in fact happened before, and it wasn't so odd to think of happening to Mary. She did indeed appear to be changing, reverting back to her human form.

"I fear he may be right."

_But then, she may grow old and die in a matter of hours!_

Auryn exclaimed frantically, grabbing Mary's hand. It felt warm to the touch. They all had similar thoughts, though none of them had the heart to say it. Auryn took their silence as discouragement and tears, actual tears, pricked at the sides of her eyes.

_She can't die! She's my best friend!_

"Calm down Auryn, it is very possible that there is a specific age Pitch wants her to be at, and she will stop aging long before she dies. Why else go through the trouble of making the insect and having it burrow into her when he could simply kill her?" North stated bluntly. Jack feared it may be too insensitive, but it actually seemed to help the girl calm down.

"He's right. I don't think we need to be too worried about the bite. We'll keep an eye on it, but the best way to stop it would be to put Pitch back in his place so the bite will vanish all together." Tooth explained, feeling a little better now that she knew what was going on with Mary. She didn't like what was happening, but her logic was sound. They needed to be rid of Pitch Black before they could be rid of the bite and the sand within. Auryn looked at the girl fondly before her eyes turned fierce again.

_Okay. We have a plan we need to enact. The sooner we put Pitch away, the better everyone will be. _

They all acknowledged the truth of the statement. Bunny offered to stay behind and the other five left after each one sent a little look of maternal or paternal love at Mary, who was sleeping soundly at this point. She was just having dreams, no nightmares of Night Terrors. And it pleased Auryn. Sandy left Bunny with a little pouch of dream-sand, in case Mary were to wake up or start to have a bad dream. Bunny graciously accepted and shut the door behind them when they left, taking a seat next to Mary.

The others made their way to North's sleigh. They all had different jobs. Sandy and Jack were going to investigate the state of Pitch's lair, to see if the Boogeyman had some sort of power source hidden there. And North and Auryn were going to go to the parts of the world where they had seen an increase of fear in the past few days. Hopefully they would run into Pitch and while North was keeping him busy, Auryn could use her peculiar magic to try and chase away the darkness inside him the way she had with Mary.

They figured Pitch had been right the last time they'd put him back in his hole. People would always be afraid. But if MiM and Auryn could somehow work together to rid the Nightmare King of his darkness within, then they could stop worrying about it in the future as well. They needed Kozmotis Pitchiner back. And if they were gonna do it before they lost Mary to the Boogeyman, they had to act fast. This was becoming a time bomb that they were all pieces to.

OOOOO

Pitch couldn't understand why he wanted to see Mary again so badly. It wasn't like things hadn't gone his way when he'd visited her. He had set his trap, delivered the bite that would spring it, and he had gotten a bit of pleasure from it as well. He was still feeling energized from the dose of fear he'd gotten from Mary. But as it started to fade, he found himself wanting. The bite would make Mary the appropriate age he needed her to be, and the appropriately weak as well. But it would also eventually spread to her heart. The sand would be a first dose of what he had planned for the girl. The shadows that had rooted themselves in Mary after she'd been reborn as an immortal had been chased away by Auryn Autumn. But Pitch had every intention of putting them back.

When Mary was a demon again, an adult demon no less, he would take great pleasure in turning her on the Guardians. On Auryn. He still wished to control the annoying Autumn spirit, but he could let Mary maim her first. This time around, it would probably be Mary that would be the wild card. If she was able to resist the evil that was now in her blood stream, she would be a potent force against Pitch. But if she submitted to the strong demon that was sent for her heart, then Pitch would have the definite advantage over the Guardians, even if they did have Auryn.

It was only a matter of time now. In less than a day Mary would be an adult on the outside as well as the inside. Her body would be able to handle more darkness than the puny child form Pitch had first met her in. And then once her transformation on the outside finished, he would make sure she withered on the inside. Whatever damage Auryn had done to the shadows that lived inside her, Pitch would fix them. Make them darker by far than before. Mary would not only be an impressive partner, but also a beautiful companion for the Shadow King. Everything was going according to plan.

But that didn't stop Pitch from wanting to see her. The longing to touch her silky skin never died as he reflected on how her change must be going. She should be in the teenage years now, creeping older and older every hour. He imagined her dark brown hair in contrast with blue eyes, instead of the blond hair and black eyes the moon had given her. He imagined her adult form, a strikingly beautiful demon full of hate. Yes. He knew why he wanted so badly to see her again. He was full of lust for the girl.

He grinned and in his mind he was already preparing his next encounter with little Mary.


	6. Chapter 6

_Author's Note: So guys this is probably one of the longest ones you'll ever get from me, so I hope you enjoy it. And yes, it is another Mary Chapter. It's just the Guardians are off doing boring stuff meanwhile there's an exciting developing plot over here with Mary and Bunny! So I hope you'll be patient with my complete disregard of the original plot for a while. _

The first thing Mary noticed when she woke up was a jet of brown hair coming over her shoulder. She curiously raised her hand to touch the odd phenomenon, cringing as pain jetted how her arm from her shoulder. She moaned loudly, waking the sleeping Pooka next to her. Bunny yawned, and then jumped up to see what Mary needed.

"Hey kid, ya okay?" He asked. She couldn't find her voice. She remembered Pitch standing in her room. She remembered a nightmare, vividly like the night when she was chased and killed by the men in her village. She remembered Pitch biting her...drinking her blood to taste the fear within. The bite. It must be why her arm hurt so much! Sure enough, she moved her sleeve to see two bandages on her shoulder. "Yeah North did what he could, but one o' them is a tricky bugger." Just the mention of bugs sent a shiver up Mary's spine. The spider.

"B...Bunny." She managed to get out. He nodded encouragingly. "W-what happened?" She asked.

"Well we're thinking Pitch musta injected some sand in ya. And well...Mary's it's really kinda hard ta explain. Can ya stand?" He asked, holding out his paw. She looked at it a minute before trying to get her muscles to work. After a few moments of trial and failure, she managed to grab his paw and he helped her slowly stand up. Every inch of her felt sore! Bunny led her to a mirror and when she peered into it she couldn't believe what she was seeing.

She didn't generally use mirrors. But the one she had looked in only a few hours ago had shown a completely different person! The last she had seen of herself, she had pin straight pale blond hair and dark black eyes. But...as she looked at herself now she was astounded. Wavy brown hair cascaded like water over her shoulders. And piercing blue eyes stared back at her in shock. The weirdest thing was that she looked three or four years older than previous! Mary simply stared at the strange girl for maybe five minutes, Bunny awkwardly staring at her too. He couldn't seem to stop himself. He knew she was still just a kid on the outside, but she was something else entirely on the inside. And it was finally starting to show. It made him want this aging thing to keep happening! Maybe if she was old enough...he could admit his growing feelings for the girl. In truth he was much more taken with Mary than with Auryn. He and Tooth both it seemed.

"I...I'm older!" She nearly shouted. Bunny gently pulled back her sleeve to point to the smaller of the bandages. Mary instantly ripped off the bandage to see two puncture holes that were swollen and dark. The memory of the spider biting her came back and she had to close her eyes for a moment. Bunny put the bandage back on her shoulder to help out. She smiled slightly at him, before the question mark came back to her eyes.

"Whatever bit ya must still be in ya, cuz it's makin ya age. But North said you'll prob'ly stop before ya get too old. He thinks it's some sorta plan Pitch has." Mary shuddered slightly at Pitch's name. There was a time when she would have never been scared of the Boogeyman. But recently, she was much more like the kid she had been when she was alive than the monster she was after she died.

"Why does he want me to age?!" She demanded with wide eyes. The rabbit simply shrugged.

"Hey look, why don't we go to my Warren. We can try an forget all about this." He proposed. While Mary knew she wouldn't be able to completely forget about it, she did want to at least put it on the back burner. This was all getting so weird. So she nodded. "Jump on." He invited, stooping to let Mary get on his back. She gave him an odd look, but climbed on his back and wrapped her arms around his chest. He tapped the ground twice and a hole appeared right in the middle of North's study. Bunny jumped through with no hesitation and bounded through the tunnels quickly. Mary had her face buried in his fur though. She was not sure she liked this mode of transportation.

When Bunny stopped moving the girl looked up, only for her jaw to drop in wonder! She slid off of Bunny and walked only a few steps, eyes frantically trying to look at everything at once! The Warren was breathtakingly beautiful! It was so bright and Springy and warm! Mary was simply amazed! Bunny couldn't help but smile as he watch Mary take in the sight of his home. He's never been quite so glad to call the Warren his until this moment. But finally he spoke up.

"I have to do some work. You can wander around if you want or you can sit with me." He said, sad to interrupt her shock and awe moment. But Mary didn't seem to mind him interrupting, and trailed after him as he walked to a long table. There were stacks of white eggs waiting for him, along with huge cups of paint and four different brushes. He took a seat in front of the first pile, Mary sitting to his right so she could watch. She'd always been curious as to how the Easter Bunny made such wonderful eggs for every child in the world!

Bunny settled into his seat and picked up the first egg. Mary watched as Bunny carefully painted egg after egg. He was quick with his work, but each one still looked like a work of art. She carefully studied each egg as he finished it, amazed at the rabbit's craftsmanship. And Bunny seemed okay with her awe at his creations. They sat bu each other for nearly and hour, Bunny painting and Mary gaping.

A sudden rumble of tiny legs drew their attention away from the current painted egg and towards a valley to their left. Bunny crinkled his eyebrows and handed the half finished egg to Mary, who looked worried.

"Do you think-"

"Nah, the Sentinels probably just spooked the buds. I'll be right back." He promised with a smile. She smiled back, but wasn't all too convinced that it wasn't Pitch. He had promised her that he would be back to see her again, soon. Every little rustle of in the bushes had made her jump today, even despite her fixation on Bunny's art. And now she was alone, Bunny disappeared over a rocky ridge and leaving everything quiet.

She brought her knees to her chest and looked at the egg in her pale little hands. She remarked at how her hands were growing. She was growing all over and quickly. She looked just like she had when she was alive, plus a few years. And it was weird. This whole bite thing was becoming annoying as well. She felt like her skin was buzzing constantly. It wasn't very pleasant. And she couldn't help but wonder if she would return to her appearance and age if the bite were to heal before Pitch had completed his little plan.

"Mary!" Bunny's voice shrieked back to where Mary was sitting, making her heart jump to her throat. He sounded terrified! She immediately jumped to her feet and without hesitation ran in the direction of Bunny's voice. She could hear whimpers, as well as strange growling and barking. When she got to the top of the rocky ridge where Bunny had disappeared she nearly screamed at what she saw. Bunny was at the bottom of a valley, cornered against a rock by a large group of Nightmare Greyhounds! One had blood on it's jaw and Mary could see that Bunny had a raw bit eon his leg.

"Aster!" Mary exclaimed, torn between running in fear and dashing down to help him. Bunny made up her mind for her.

"Go! Call North! Hurry!" He begged, kicking a hound that was inching closer to him. Mary hesitated a moment, wanting to help, but the dog closest to Bunny lunged forward and snapped it's jaw around his arm. She took off to find the snow globe that North had left with her and Bunny. Bunny had left it on the table while he was painting eggs, making sure Mary saw it in case just such an occasion as this were to arise.

She went to jump over a rock, her foot skidding accidentally and lurching her forward. She screamed and reached out for something to grab onto. She got a firm grip on something and it halted her fall so she could slide to a stop before face planting. She breathed deeply, trying to recover from the near fall, then looked up to see what had saved her. Her heart nearly stopped beating all together upon seeing Pitch holding her up.

"No let me go!" She shouted as Pitch grabbed her arm harshly. She struggled to wrench out of his grasp, but it was futile against the Nightmare King. Pitch smirked at the kid, before growing tired of her struggling and shoving her back against the rocky cliff edge.

"I guess it's true what they say. Children do grow up so fast. It seems like just yesterday you were a little girl." He sneered tauntingly. Mary narrowed her eyes, trying still to push him away. Pitch paid no attention to that as he carefully slipped her sleeve off her shoulder to look at the insect bite. It had swollen slightly, darkening to a purple, almost bruise-like consistency. The Nightmare Sand in the bite stirred suddenly in the presence of it's maker, the sudden pain making Mary cry out.

"Stop Pitch Please!" She begged. He sighed heavily, but the sand stopped it's moving and Mary took a deep breath. He looked down at the panicked girl, studying the changes that the Nightmare Sand had already brought in only a dew hours. She had her mortal hair and eye color, as well as pink cheeks. And she now appeared to be nearly sixteen in age. Pitch couldn't help but admit to himself that he preferred this older Mary. But her changes weren't done yet. The sand still had some work to do.

"A shame I had to interrupt your little painting party, you looked so peaceful. But who ever heard of a peaceful Bloody Mary?" He smirked. Mary wanted so badly to smack him.

"I am not Bloody Mary anymore! I haven't been for a long time and you know it!" she shouted. He pouted ever so slightly.

"Yes I know. Not after Auryn got her eyes on you. That was also a shame. You turned from such a fierce demon child to an immortal pet." He spat. "You used to be so much more Mary." He added when she glowed red with anger.

"I used to be evil! Completely consumed with hatred. But I'm not anymore! I feel peace for one, and let me tell you Nightmare King, it's wonderful." He growled low in his throat that her attempts to jade him. Most because they were working. The Nightmare Sand inside of him was writhing in disgust at the thought of releasing their claim the way Mary's darkness had released her. Mary seemed to sense his inner turmoil and smirked ever so slightly.

"We'll just have to change that my dear." Her eyes widened in fear at the pointed promise in his words. Was he really intending to make her evil again? What that the true purpose of the Nightmare Sand being inside of her? A boomerang came out of nowhere, hitting Pitch on his hand and leaving a gash where black blood oozed out. The Boogeyman hissed in pain and dropped the girl, who quickly scampered away. She took refuge next to the triumphant, if not slightly battered, Easter Bunny. Pitch gripped his injured hand with a glare at the Pooka and the cowering immortal girl.

"Shoo, you exaggerated campfire story." Bunny spat, his other boomerang held out threateningly. Pitch growled in his throat, but stood tall in rebellion of Bunny's demand. He was not going to flee like a measly shadow.

"Come on Rabbit, you and I both know her fate is in my hands now." Pitch snarled. Just to prove his point, he directed his murderous eyes to Mary, who fell to the ground, writhing in pain.

"Mary!" Bunny stooped to cradle the suffering girl, but still kept an eye on Pitch, who smirked sinisterly.

"Hand her over Aster and it stops." Pitch hissed. Mary, though she was close to passing out, shook her head up at Bunny, silently begging him not to let Pitch take her. Bunny slyly pulled an extra snow globe from on of his pockets, whispering to it and to Mary before picking her up bridal style and glaring at Pitch.

"You will never get this close to her again." He said with a threatening voice before tossing the globe to the ground, immediately hopping though it before Pitch could even register his escape plan. The moment Mary went through the portal, she felt the darkness leaver her pain filled mind and the aching stopped. A heavy sigh of relief escaped her lips as she realize she was safe in a glen of snowy pines. Through two of them she saw a frozen lake glistening in the sun. she felt warm and safe in Bunny's arms as he carried her to the shore of the lake and put her down.

"Are you okay Bunny?" She asked quietly looking at him. He was shocked! She had just been a shaking mess of pain, and she was asking if _he_ was okay? He let out a short chuckle and nodded. "Oh Bunny I'm sorry! Pitch invaded the Warren because of me! The dogs..." She looked like she might be sick when she spied a few of the bites on Bunny's arm. He tried his best to hide them, but she already knew he must be really hurt. She reached out to try and investigate the severity of the bites, but Bunny flinched back. It alerted Mary to his true state immediately.

"Mary I'm fine!" He lied. "They got a few lucky nibbles, that's all." He tried to convince her.

"At least let me put some ice on them." She pleaded, already packing some ice into a tight ball to put on the wounds. Bunny wanted to protest, but Mary gave him a fierce look that said she would not let him say no. So he sighed and held out his arm for her.

"This was supposed to be the Guardians rendezvous spot." Bunny explained quietly as Mary iced the bites.

"Do you think they're okay?" She asked, worry twinkling in her eyes. Bunny could only shrug. Maybe they were just late. But he hoped they would arrive soon. He didn't want Pitch to show up again when he was still in a poor state.

"How's your shoulder kid?" He asked to try and distract her from his own shoulder. She too tried to shrug it off, but Bunny tilted her face up to his. She looked ashamed for some reason. "Let me see." He demanded, carefully brushing away her hair and dress sleeve. The bite was black now, and looked rather sore. Bunny took the packed ice from Mary's hand and covered the dark punctures. A slight hiss of pain escaped Mary's lips, but she didn't stop the Pooka from putting pressure on the bite. She watched him carefully as he carefully tried to numb the injury for her. A nagging thought at the back of her head kept popping up until she couldn't stop herself.

"Aster...why did you do that for me? You stood up to Pitch for me instead of just getting out of there. I mean, you know who I was before I knew Auryn. I was evil, but you still stood up for me." One glistening tear escaped the corner of the girl's eyes. Bunny immediately wiped it away, letting his paw linger on her cheek.

"I don't care who you were Mary. Because who you are now is a caring, loyal, beautiful friend. And we Guardians don't let our friends get hurt. Especially not by the likes of Pitch Black." He said solidly, keeping her eyes locked on his. Bunny felt strange looking at her. When he's first seen her, she was a little kid covered in blood. Then she'd been a cute child he wanted to protected after Pitch attacked her. And now...she looked nearly adult now. Bridging between seventeen and nineteen. And Bunny had to admit she was beautiful, with that dark hair and those brilliant blue eyes. It was remarkable.

"Thank you Aster." She whispered, hugging the Pooka. He graciously accepted the hug, drawing her in closer. They sat like that for what seemed like forever. Bunny wasn't complaining though. Eventually though they separated, Mary grabbing the ice back from him to continue with his bites. She was icing one on his thigh when they heard it.

"Whoa. We uh...interrupting something?" Bunny had never been _less_ happy to hear Jack's annoying voice. Both he and Mary looked up from her nurse work to the five immortals who were smirking and chuckling to themselves. Mary handed Bunny the ice so he could keep icing the wound.

"It's uh...we were...ya know..." Bunny tried to explain but couldn't make a whole sentence.

_Now I see why he volunteered to stay and watch her._

Auryn joked, receiving a laugh from Jack and a severe blush from both Mary and Bunny, though they couldn't see Bunny's. Bunny again tried to form a coherent sentence but this time Mary jumped in to spare him.

"Pitch attacked us in the Warren. So we came to wait for you guys here." Auryn instantly snapped out of her playful mood and rushed over to her now post-teen friend. She curiously examined the worsening bite, noticing how Pitch's presence made it darker. She looked at North with large eyes.

"Have you aged much since Pitch's appearance?" North asked with concern in his voice. Mary looked to Bunny for an answer. She _felt_ older but she wasn't sure much older.

"Only a year. And she's stayed this age a good half hour now while we've been waitin' for you." Bunny realized how relieved he sounded but he could care less. Did this mean her aging was over now? Was the bite going to go away now? He voiced his hoped, but his face fell when North shook his head slowly.

"Bite is still dark. But you may be right about her aging stopping. This must be age Pitch wants her at." Everyone shuddered at those words. Great

What happened?

Auryn demanded of her friend.

"Bunny was painting eggs and we heard the buds all stirred up. When Bunny went to investigate Pitch sent Greyhounds after him and cornered me. Mostly he was just taunting me, but just before Bunny saved me, Pitch said something about making me evil again. Well he didn't exactly say that but something to that effect." Mary explained. Auryn narrowed her eyes, angry that Pitch would even think about making Mary evil again after all she'd done to banish that side of Mary.

"Of course! Nightmare Sand was not only to age Mary but to taint her! Auryn you must stop Nightmare Sand!" North proclaimed. Both Auryn and Mary looked alarmed. "Use eyes to make Sand flee her before it can root in her heart!" North added when they didn't more. Auryn nodded and took Mary's face in her hands, locking eyes with the girl. She dug into Mary's mind with her eyes, searching her from any hints of darkness. She could sense the sand creeping through Mary towards her heart and instantly went for it, burning the evil within Mary like the colors of Autumn burned an otherwise bland landscape. Mary moaned slightly at the uncomfortable feeling, but soon it was gone. A feeling like a pin prick made her shoulder twitch and they all watched as the nightmare sand oozed from the spider bite, trying to escape from Auryn's heated glare. When the sand was gone, the bite almost immediately sealed and returned to a normal skin color. Mary let out the breath she had been holding, instantly feeling so much better now that the sand was gone.

"How do ya feel sheila?" Bunny asked with a paw on her cheek. She smiled at the Pooka then at everyone else. They were all watching to see if she would reverse age or appearance, but it seemed she was this way to stay.

"Never been better."


	7. Chapter 7

Pitch was surprised to see a little spider of Nightmare Sand running scared across his throne room. He frowned and called the insect to him, instantly realizing it was Mary's spider! The small creature looked distressed as it told its story of getting so close to corrupting Mary only to be chased off by the Autumn Spirit. Pitch, in a fit of anger, ground the spider back into Nightmare Dust. He growled as he sat back on his throne.

Damn that Auryn Autumn! She would pay for this! But more importantly he needed to devise some way of getting both Mary and Auryn. They were the ones who would make the difference this time. And if he couldn't have them on his side, neither would the Guardians. As much as Pitch longed for Mary, he would rather see her locked in a cage hanging from the ceiling than have her get in his way of defeating the Guardians.

OOOOO

Mary looked at herself carefully in the mirror. She just couldn't comprehend the fact that in one day she had aged nearly ten years! And she felt different. She felt taller and more graceful for some reason. She wasn't particularly sure if she liked this change or not, but she would have to learn to cope with it. Whatever the reason behind Pitch's little growth spurt for her, it was permanent. It would take getting used to though.

"They didn't find anything in the Warren that would point to Pitch still being there." Mary glanced over her shoulder at the Pooka who walked into the room. They had relocated to the Tooth Palace so that Tooth could get her a new dress. The one she had been wearing had gotten dirty in her scramble to get help. The lavender sun dress she wore now went well with her hair and pale skin, or so Auryn and Tooth told her. She never was one to look at clothes though.

"Are we going back there?" She asked. She couldn't quite keep the fear out of her voice. She wasn't sure if she could handle being back there. Her memory of the place would probably always be tainted with Pitch. But if that's where they needed her to be, that's where she would go. She didn't want to get in their way.

"No, Tooth wants you to stay here. She even cleared a little plot for you to garden in." He smiled slightly at her as her face instantly glowed with happiness. It had been a while since she had gardened. Auryn recently hadn't needed to. "But we're sorta at a stalemate. We don't know where Pitch is or what his plan is. We don't know how long it will be before he tries ta get at ya again. We don't know anything and until we do, we can't make our move." Bunny explained sadly. Mary frowned and hugged the giant rabbit.

"It'll be okay. Pitch isn't one to sit around. He'll show up soon and then we can capture him and Auryn can work her magic." She encouraged. Bunny smiled at the girl's enthusiasm, but he wasn't so sure it would go quite as smoothly as she said.

"How're ya feelin?" He asked as he walked with her. Tooth had installed several makeshift staircases to make her home more Auryn and Mary friendly and it was only a short walk to where the garden plot was. But Bunny walked slow so they could talk.

"A little strange. After being ten years old for so long, and now all the sudden I'm not, it's kinda weird." She explained briefly. He nodded sympathetically. While he himself couldn't relate, he knew it would still help to just pretend like he understood. Mary didn't seem to mind if it was a fake understanding either. She peeked at him from the corner of her eyes and smiled ever so slightly.

"Well I assume it'll be odd for a while. But you're a tough sheila, you'll move on. Prob'ly become some great immortal gardener who all the immortal gents wanna marry." He rambled just long enough for that slight blush to appear on his and her face. Once again, Bunny's wasn't visible but Mary could kinda tell he was blushing from the way his ears lowered.

"Is that my plot?" She asked to lead away from the topic. They'd arrived near the pond with the mural. Tooth had made sure to pick the best possible place for Mary. Indeed, Mary could see how rich the soil was and how perfect it would be for growing.

"Yeah. Tooth brought ya some herbs and I thought you could grow some carrots." He tossed a thin packet to the girl, who caught it easily and looked down at the picture of a carrot on the bag. When she gardened in the old days, she had to go get a root from the woods or ask her mom to buy one from a neighbor. So having the seeds so readily available was odd to her. Still, she smiled gratefully and instantly knelt on the ground to get to work.

"Are the carrots for you?" She asked as Bunny reclined on the grass next to her rectangular plot. The pooka couldn't help the smile on his face as he looked at Mary. She was already wrist deep in soil and Tooth would throw a fit when she saw how Mary was behaving in her pretty lavender dress. But it was so cute to Bunny.

"Only if you wan' 'em to be." He smiled with a meaningful look in his eyes. Mary blushed slightly and moved some wavy brown hair from her face, inadvertently getting a long smudge of dirt on her pale cheek. Bunny chuckled and reached forward to wipe off the smudge. Mary's blush only deepened as his warm furry paw brushed over her skin. "Mary about yesterday. At the lake. I...well I thought maybe we had a bit of a moment." He decided he should take the initiative on the matter. He'd been wanting to say something, but wasn't sure if either were ready to hear it.

"Yeah. We did. But Aster, once Pitch is gone, Auryn will want to go back to her village. And I'll go with her." Bunny's good mood instantly vanished. He'd forgotten the Autumn Spirit's intentions. More than that, he'd forgotten how loyal Mary was to the girl. Of course she would choose Auryn over him! They'd only just begun to be friends. And before that, they had been enemies. Bunny could even recall chasing her away one Easter morning when he saw her sulking in the trees, all bloody and dark. But that was a long long time ago! He didn't know how wonderful of a girl she was back then! He didn't know her history or how caring she was or how peaceful she could be. He'd give anything to go back in time and tell her that.

"Mary...you don't have to go back with her. You could stay here with us! You could be who you were before you were even turned immortal! You could grow things an' help children an' adults alike! I know you love Auryn but I really like you and I don't wan' you to go!" He pleaded. Mary only looked down at her hands. They looked so familiar now, caked with dirk and earth. But at the same time they were foreign. These were the hands of a woman who had to decide between a loyal friendship and a budding love.

"Aster...I'm sorry. Auryn saved me from that horrible person I was. And if there's only one thing I can take from this whole rotten experience with Pitch, it's that I'm fragile. If North hadn't caught on to the sinister nature of that spider bite, I'd be a fearling by now! So she saved me twice! She's my mother, sister, and friend! I can't leaver her." Mary's voice cracked and Aster could see how much she was hurting. It wasn't fair of him to try and make her choose between two things she obviously wanted. It was clear to him that she liked him as well, but that she would always follow in Auryn's footsteps. Still, it hurt him.

"You'll visit, won't you?" Her heart nearly broke hearing the sadness weighing down his voice. She gave him a small smile and nodded.

"I'll make sure to get dozens of Snow Globes from North before leaving. Just so I can visit you." She promised, putting her hand on his cheek. They both laughed when her hand dropped and a perfect hand print of dirt was left behind. He decided to help her, digging in to make her some rows in the plot. He didn't want to dwell on the subject, especially when it was clearly causing them both distress. Still, behind his smile he felt like crying. It was strange just how much he had begun to like Mary in only a short time.

Auryn listened to the entire conversation from her vantage point. She'd been trying to sunbathe when she'd heard her friend and the Easter Bunny start talking. And while she was glad Mary would always want to stay with her, she could tell it was time for the two of them to separate. How she was going to convince Mary of that though...she had no idea. It would be like telling a brick wall to pick up a flower. For the moment she could only think about it, and watch them enjoy themselves. Mary was now drawing a mustache on Bunny with some soil. It made Auryn smile. They would be a very cute couple.

Auryn was so absorbed in the beauty of the budding relationship that she nearly missed the squirm of nightmare sand in the soil near Mary. She squinted, trying to make sure it wasn't just a worm. But she was sure it was a tendril of darkness worming its way towards the girl and Aster. She sprang up instantly, climbing frantically down towards Mary and Bunny. She needed to warn them! But before she could get close enough to use her mental talk, the tendril shot out like a snake, twisting around Bunny's neck and squeezing.

"Aster!" Mary exclaimed, instantly trying to loose the appendage of darkness. A similar coil of Nightmare Sand was twisting around her waist and ankles, and as fast as Auryn was running, she wasn't getting any closer. Finally she noticed the sand surrounding her as well as the two immortals at the garden. Pitch's demented laughter played around her head and the man himself stepped out of shadow near Auryn.

"Cute isn't it?" He motioned towards Mary and Aster. Mary was desperately trying to help Bunny, with no concern towards herself. And poor Aster looked about blue without oxygen. Mary, hearing Pitch's snarky comment, turned towards him with anger in her eyes.

"Stop it! Let him go!" She demanded, looking much more fierce than Auryn had ever seen her. Pitch smirked ever so slightly, the Nightmare Sand tightening around Mary but thankfully loosening around Bunny. The Pooka sucked in a huge breath, but he was nearly passed out and had no idea how much trouble they were really in. The other Guardians were still oblivious to the situation, and Pitch was very much in control at the moment. He'd been getting stronger daily and now it was his turn to succeed.

"I must say Mary, you defied my expectations. Never did I imagine you quite so beautiful." A shudder ran up her spine at his words, and she instinctively tried to squirm further away from him. But the Sand restricting her had grown to her wrists and a loop was casually around her neck, just in case. Auryn too was similarly bound, and Bunny as well. He was still very dizzy though and had no fight the way the girls did. It made Pitch nearly cackle in delight.

"You really think you're gonna get away with this?" Mary bit. Pitch pretended to look deep in thought for a moment and with a wicked smile walked up to the girl.

"Of course I will. Now that I have the both of you at my mercy, and not to mention the rabbit. Who is there to stop me?" With that he snapped and all three were instantly lost in a landscape of Nightmares as darkness swallowed them to take them away.


	8. Chapter 8

_Author's Note! So depending on how mature the stuff you read is, this chapter might be a little spicy. Nothing M rated, but maybe a little risque. Again, it all depends on you and what you think is naughty or not. Just be warned I guess. _

Pitch watched Mary lovingly from the shadows. For such a little thing, she had so much fight. She tried fruitlessly to squirm out of thick sand bonds that kept her on a short leash, but all she was doing was providing Pitch entertainment. The other two still were out, locked in cages above Mary. But the little girl was trying her best to wake them. Squawking like a song bird to try waking her friends. If he wasn't so pleased by this whole situation, he'd actually feel bad for her. Though, he was growing tired of all the loud shouting. Might as well through her a bone. With the wave of his hand, Auryn woke from her nightmare.

_Mary?!_

"Auryn! I'm down here!" Mary exclaimed, instantly stopping in her struggles. Auryn crawled to the bars of her hovering cage and caught sight of her friend. Mary was chained to a wall, but there was enough chain that she could get a few feet before having to stop. Her ankles and wrists both shackled by the cursed sand.

_Are you okay?_

"I'm fine! Are you? Is Aster?" Auryn looked herself over, not noticing anything suspicious. Then she examined the Guardian of Hope in the cage next to hers. He too appeared unharmed, except some matted fur from earlier. The audible sigh that left her lips let Mary know they were okay before she could speak. Still it was nice to hear from Auryn after a good few hours of silence and her shouting.

_We are both okay. How long have I been asleep?_

"A few hours. I don't know where Pitch is. You'd think he'd be rubbing his success in our faces." Her sarcastic comment coupled with that adorable pouty face was just too much for Pitch and he let out a sickeningly happy laugh. Both the girls looked around for the source of the shudder-inducing laugh. Even Bunny was roused by it's violent and malicious tone. He looked around groggily before spying Auryn next to him.

"Auryn? Where's Mary?" Mary's heart skipped a beat, hearing that her sweetheart was finally awake. She smiled despite herself.

"I'm down here Aster." He, like Auryn, crept to the edge of his containment chamber and peeked down at Mary. "Are you okay?" Even with Auryn's prediction that he was okay, it didn't hurt to have a second opinion on the matter. Bunny rubbed the back of his head where a goose egg was formed, and also his neck which was still sore. But other than bumps and bruises, which he could live with, he appeared to be fine.

"I'm alright sheila. Was that Pitch laughing like a maniac?" He couldn't keep the contempt out of his voice at the mention of the Boogeyman. Auryn nodded to him, and his eyes narrowed ever so slightly. Of course no one would be comfortable being locked in a cage hanging from the ceiling, but for some reason he was especially nervous. Maybe because Mary looked so vulnerable down there. He longed to hug the girl, to let her know he was there and he cared for her. The most he could do was stare down at her in fear for her.

"How adorable." Pitch's voice rang out again at the look he spied on both Bunny, and Mary's face. Absolute adoration and concern for the other. He hated it. "I hate adorable." He added with a fierce cutting tone. The shadows of the walls writhed before Pitch stepped out into their line of sight. Mary instantly jumped away from the dark spirit, not that it would make a difference. In fact it kinda just spurred Pitch on. He came to stand right in front of the girl, uncomfortably close for all of them excepting Pitch. "I must say Mary, you make this all too easy. Your fear is entirely too satisfying." He muttered, a devilish look in his eyes.

"I am not afraid of you." She said strongly. His smirk said he knew otherwise. The odd thing was, there was a time when she wasn't afraid of Pitch Black. In fact it was only a short time ago that she had begun to fear him. She didn't understand why she was suddenly so weak. Apparently Pitch could understand her internal fretting because a larger smirk took place of his already snarky expression.

"I remember when you truly were not afraid of me. Hell, I was more afraid of you than you were of me. Tales of you and your evil used to give me a shudder of fright. Imagine my surprise when I went to find a simply Autumn spirit, instead finding a _domesticated_ Bloody Mary." He spat the word out like a curse word. Then his eyes softened and he grabbed the girl by her chin. "But I have a way of changing that. You may have resisted the Nightmare Sand before, but soon enough I think you'll find yourself on my side again." He explained thoughtfully.

"I would rather die than return to that!" She growled angrily. However it didn't seem to phase Pitch, who was looking the girl over for what felt like the hundredth time to Mary. She was tired of feeling his eyes on her! Why was he taking so much joy in making her uncomfortable? He paused in his action of studying her to think back a few days to the first time he tasted her fear. How helpless she'd been. Like a doll in his hands. And while she was still helpless, she had more fight in her. This whole experience was slowly hardening her into a mature woman. Still, maybe he could have one last moment to toy with her?

He slowly trailed his gray fingers down her pale cheek, making a blush rise to her cheeks and drawing a low animalistic growl from a protective Bunny. Auryn was almost frightened by the noise the Pooka made. It only spurred Pitch on though. He grasped Mary's face in his palm, forcing his lips onto hers. Bunny started shouting cuss words at this. Words Mary would have never thought would come from him. But she was more concerned with the fact that Pitch Black was forcing a kiss on her than Bunny saying a few curse words.

"I swear ta MiM I'm gonna kill you Pitch!" Bunny exclaimed, raw fury in his voice. At this Pitch applied pressure to Mary's jaw, forcing her lips open so he could explore the untainted mouth within. It disgusted Mary that he had so much power over her. She was all too happy when he stopped his assault. But, beneath her hate, her detest, she was confused. Pitch could see right through the predominant hatred to that little confused girl inside and smirked.

"You didn't think I was only after you to turn you evil...did you? Sure I love to prove a point, but only if there's something else in it for me." A violent shiver of fear nearly brought tears to Mary's eyes. Suddenly she felt like that ten year old girl she died as. So small under his gaze. She still wasn't quite sure what he meant but between the passionate, if not repulsive, kiss and his statement...she could infer he wanted her to be his lover.

But...she knew nothing about love except family love. Her mother and Auryn. And Aster. But with Aster it was a special kind of love. But she felt none of these feelings towards Pitch. She would rather be evil than be his. Pitch seemed to sense this, because he didn't look as snarky as usual. Both were so busy thinking that they'd completely zoned out Bunny's shouting from his cage. But now it was starting to get annoying to Pitch. With a smirk he kissed Mary again and turned.

"I'll leave you all now. But first. Are you hungry Mary?" Bunny ceased his shouting to look surprised before glowing at the Nightmare King. Mary and Auryn just looked surprised, not thinking to hide their emotions like Bunny had. Mary didn't understand the question. She hadn't been hungry for three hundred years. But, it kinda seemed like Pitch knew that. What was he playing at? He turned on his heals at the stunned silence, a basket in his hands that hadn't been before. Inside the basket, glowing in a magically delicious way, were five bright red apples. They seemed to radiate satisfaction and sweetness. Mary couldn't take her eyes off of them. And, it was the strangest thing, suddenly she was hungry. Every second she spent staring at the magical fruit, the more hungry she got. But even when she looked away, her stomach growled, begging to be fed by the savory apples. Pitch's smirk returned seeing the look on her face.

_It's a trick Mary, don't eat those!_

Pitch cast an annoyed look up at Auryn, who was also noticing the effects of the spell-cast fruit. But she was much better at resisting the lure since she was only half immortal. Bunny though was having the same problem as Mary, his mouth watering, dying for a taste of the blood red apples. Pitch again offered the basket to the girl, but she hesitantly shook her head. She didn't know why, but something was telling her not to eat the fruit. Just a small part of her brain that said for some reason she couldn't have them.

"Are you sure?" Pitch's smirk was becoming a regular sight for the girl, but that didn't mean she liked it. It was so cruel. She looked away from the fearful man with her bottom lip jutting out ever so slightly. Pitch chuckled, the basket disappearing. When Mary looked again he was holding a crystal goblet with the clearest, brightest, tantalizing looking water she'd ever seen. And her throat burned in longing for a taste of the jewel liquid. "Thirsty perhaps?" Pitch asked ever so quietly.

"Pitch stop it!" Bunny yelled, despite the fact that he himself was yearning for the cool clear water. "You're torturing her!" He added when Pitch simply began swirling the water around. Mary was quickly becoming a mess under Pitch's knowing golden eyes. Why was he doing this. He watched her carefully as she sank to the floor, crunching her knees to her chest and wrapping her arms around them. With one last satisfying taste of complete despair, Pitch dismissed the water. He knelt in front of her to capture her eyes.

"You will give in. Eventually." Pitch hissed before standing and striding authoritatively from the room. Mary watched him go, trying to ignore the basket and goblet suddenly within her arms reach.


	9. Chapter 9

_Authors Note- So in this chapter I'm introducing a new OC that my friend asked me to put in. We were trying to brainstorm ideas and we came up with this and well, I like _her_. So yeah, I'm sorry if this is becoming like a complete OC story, but I need the extra boost to finish out this story, and this new OC is the way I'm gonna do it._

OOOOO

A girl with frizzy brown hair watched the whole thing from shadows with a frown. She was angry. Here she was giving Pitch a whole bunch of good luck because she felt bad for him, and he was misusing it! After she'd stumbled upon the frail man being tortured by Nightmares, she'd taken pity and allowed him access back to the land above. She'd given him more than ample protection as he'd built his power back up. She'd done so much in the last week alone. But she was upset at how he was acting. Like he owned the world and everything in it. Well not anymore. She was done helping him. There were three new spirits who deserved her help, especially since it would destroy Pitch for them to come off conquer in this situation. A wicked smile tugged her lips into a smile. Ah yes, she would make Pitch suffer again for taking advantage of her gifts. After all, who didn't know the saying? Karma was a bitch.

She waited until Pitch was gone from his lair all together to walk into the light. At first none of them noticed her. Aster and Auryn were looking intently at the suffering Mary, who was looking intently at the enchanted temptations Pitch had left. She looked miserable. Well that was the first thing Karma would change. With a bat of her beautiful brown eyes, the basket and goblet were gone.

Mary jumped up, expecting to see Pitch or a nightmare. Instead she found herself looking at a small child, no older than five, with an abundance of curly brown hair and doll like brown eyes. She was wearing a bright green floofy* mini skirt with black and white horizontal striped leggings. With is was a baggy black shirt that held the picture of a zebra with a neon green Mohawk. The girl wore no shoes, but definitely rocked a proud and knowing smile. While she looked only a toddler, the girls eyes showed no lack of living.

"Hello." Her voice sounded just like bells, chiming from far away.

"Uh...hi..." Mary eventually whispered.

"Don't worry about being loud, Pitch has left the building. Finally. I swear that Chick Norris fearing freak hardly ever goes out." She said with a roll of her huge eyes. Mary smiled to herself as the thought entered her head. This must be what a human owl would look like. Huge eyes. But...the girl's smile looked like it could crack her face right in half at any minute. She looked so pleased with herself. That was not owlish at all.

"Uh...who are you?" Mary asked, managing to make herself not seem offensive as she asked. Merely curious. Karma looked up at Auryn and Aster, making sure she had their attention, before doing an exaggerated bow and proclaiming happily,

"I am Karma! And I am a Bitch!" The three immortals simply looked at her, at a loss for words. "So uh, I wanna get back at that bastard Pitch. Best way I can figure, get y'all the hell outta dodge, am I right? So, we best be goin." She explained with all the seriousness of an adult. It was kinda goofy coming from a kids mouth though. Mary wasn't going to let that deter her though. She didn't know why Karma was helping them, or what exactly her motivation was, but it was about damn time someone helped them!

"Yes, thank you. We need to get them down first, and me unchained." She stated. Karma only smiled, and suddenly the bottoms of the cages disappeared. Bunny yelped but landed on his feet, recovering with just enough time to roll a bit and cushion Auryn's fall. The girl landed on him with both of them muttering a bit of an 'oof!' and groaned. Mary's chains faded away and allowed her to run to her friends.

"You guys okay?" She demanded. They both frowned but nodded. They'd need some ice for their pride, but other than that, they were okay. A bell like chuckle brought their attention back to the ever so innocent but evil Karma. She giggled again and swayed a little.

"Ready?" She asked, holding out her hand to Mary. Mary grasped Aster's paw, who took hold of Auryn's hand, before taking Karma's outstretched limb. In an instant they were back at the Tooth Palace. In the middle of the main tower, surrounded by the Guardians and the Baby Teeth. Jack, Tooth, Sandy, and North all stared in alarm at the newly appeared immortals. Where in the world had they come from? They had just been in a meeting about the disappearance of their friends and suddenly, the missing three were before their eyes. And there was a kid with them, grinning like an evil mastermind. North and Jack both recognized her, but only Jack smiled upon seeing her.

"Karma! You helped these guys out?" Jack smiled, hugging the kid. She gave him her best grin and nodded. There was no hiding it that she liked Jack. But she was an immortal five year old, so there wasn't much hope in being with him. But she could still smile at him all she liked. "What happened?" He looked around at the four of them.

"What do you think?" Mary rolled her eyes. She looked the most upset out of all of them. She'd been so strong while stuck in Pitch's lair, but now she was kind of a wreck. Her heart and head were aching with all the things that had happened.

"Pitch." North stated simply. A shudder ran up Mary's spine at the name. They all noticed it but when Bunny stepped forward to comfort her, she backed up. They all faltered at that. What was that about? She'd never acted that way towards Bunny before, nor towards anyone else. The whole time her and Auryn had been there, she'd been a kind open kid. But as she looked around at everyone now, she looked like she was getting closer and closer to a full fledged panic attack. It passed as suddenly as it came, but by the time she had a grip on herself they were all looking at her with a look that went a step beyond concern. And it was too much for her. She didn't want them to look at her like this. She had to get out of here. She had to be somewhere safe. She looked at them one more time with regret in her eyes then turned and ran off.

"Mary!" Bunny called, but Auryn stopped him from running after her.

_Let her be. At least for a while. _

They all silently agreed. And while the other four Guardians didn't know what had happened or why Mary was acting like this, they all knew it was best to give her space.

OOOOO

Bunny was concerned about Mary. It had been two days since Karma brought them back o the Tooth Palace and he girl hadn't left her garden. She had even slept there! He knew she was growing something, but he didn't know what. And no body, not even Auryn, could get her to talk about it. Or talk about anything at all.

"Hey E.B., what's up Doc?" Karma grinned, tossing Bunny a carrot. The kid was really annoying, but Bunny wasn't going to be the one to tell her. He's heard she had a temper and he preferred that it stay focused on Pitch. Karma followed his heavy hearted glance to Mary and grinned. Now there was an adorable, if not a little unusual, couple. "She's mighty pretty." Karma winked, nudging him slightly. He nodded stiffly and Karma frowned. What was eating him? "I'm sure she'll be okay Bun-Bun. Probably just a little shaken up." She insisted. Bunny sighed.

"It's more than that. She's terrified. She won't eave the garden because it's where she feel safe. But she won't talk to us either. No one can get through to her." He explained with a frustrated growl. Karma observed Mary closer and noticed tear stains on the girl's cheeks, as well as unsteady hands and a slight hiccup, like she was sobbing quietly. A pity filled grimace finally hit karma's face. "She's had nightmares both nights we've been back." Bunny mentioned.

"We knew Pitch wouldn't just give up." Karma shrugged. She didn't see what the big deal was honestly. She felt concern for Mary and all that, but it was just a few threats and nightmares. Not like he'd actually hurt any of them, unless you count that bit of mental torture with the cursed fruit. Which they probably did.

"You heard what he said. He wants her. And she's never been faced with the kind of want he has in mind." He sounded a step beyond uncomfortable.

"You mean she a vir-" She stopped short when a low growl escaped Bunny subconsciously. "Okay I get how that would be disturbing and all, but this seems like a bit of an overreaction to just that, especially when nothing like that really happened. It was just threats." Karma pointed out. Bunny's eyes narrowed. She could tell he was getting impatient with her.

"Is it really such an overreaction? Her and her mother were killed by men, men like Pitch. Now Pitch wants to hurt her, and it's like she's back then. Helpless and hopeless. On top of it, I think she's scared that she'll revert to her evil self again, if he does succeed." Bunny explained.

"But, even if she did, Auryn could help her. Couldn't she? I mean it is Auryn who's gonna change Pitch back to Kozmotis, remember." She watched as Mary took a deep breath and stopped fussing over whatever she was growing. The girl wiped her cheeks, unconsciously caking them with dirt, and then flopped back to look up at the clouds passing serenely overhead.

"There's no guarantee even that will work. Pitch is not a force to be taken lightly. And unfortunately, Mary seems to be the key to his full attention at this point." Karma shuddered at that. Even she, who wasn't really afraid of anything (having power over really every aspect of a persons life comes with perks) could say that creeped her out. But, with that thought, she got a good idea. She'd been pushing off helping the Guardians until she was sure they deserved it. But even if they didn't, which she was pretty sure they did, Mary definitely needed it. It was time for _her_ plan to go into action. It was time for Karma to give them her good graces.

*I'm pretty sure that's how you spell it. Basically really fluffy, full of toole. And an awesome word all together.


	10. Chapter 10

"Whatcha growin'?" Karma asked as she plopped down next to Mary. The older girl flinched, but didn't react nearly as violently as she had been recently. In the last two days she wouldn't even let people sit with her for longer than a minute. Maybe there was a breakthrough on the horizon. But, Karma doubted it. Not without some help. And as the silence got longer, Karma started to think it might take a lot of nudging to get this girl to return to herself. "We're all curious. It looks cool from afar thought." Mary glanced at the ground where the plant would eventually sprout, a bit of a protective shine in her eyes. Obviously she wanted to be left alone with her garden and not listen to Karma theorize, but the annoying shrimp was not deterred.

Karma kept sitting there, looking between the pond, Mary, and the plot leisurely. Mary never stopped looking at the soil. Mary wondered just how long the kid could hold out. She was sure eventually the young looking girl would loose her willingness to sit for long periods of time and would skip off once she got really bored. But Karma surprised her when, two hours later, she was still there. In fact, it was Mary who was starting to get restless.

With a heavy hearted sigh, the immortal gardener laid back and watched clouds again. She didn't realize just how tired she was as she slipped immediately off to sleep. And almost immediately, her dreams turned dark.

_Pitch looked lovingly at Mary as she struggled against her bonds. The poor girl was trying so hard to escape and reach the Pooka handing from the ceiling by his arms. Bunny still had yet to wake up, but Mary was sure he was still alive. Why else would Pitch keep him so close but so unreachable to Mary? He was taunting her. Making her chains just loose enough to almost wiggle out of them. Giving just enough light for her to see Bunny's unconscious body. Getting her so close to the one she loved, but not close enough. It frustrated Mary _beyond_ greatly._

_The Nightmare King finally decided to put an end to the girl's petty fighting by making his presence known. He noticed her wrists bleeding from her struggling, deciding he should stop her before she got seriously hurt. Putting his hands over the girls, he roughly pulled Mary away from Bunny and against him. Instantly the puny girl fought against him. She winced though, finally noticing the sate of her wrists now that pressure was taken off them._

"_Let me go! Why are you doing this Pitch?!" She demanded, trying frantically to get away from the Boogeyman. Pitch just chuckled deep in his throat, lightly toying with her hair. _

"_I'm doing this...because you are irresistible Mary. Even as good as Auryn has made you, the past haunts you and makes your fear so sweet. It's entirely satisfying." She shuddered as he licked his lips. "Do you remember when the men came for you Mary? When they killed your mother because she stood between them and you." He purred into her ear, nuzzling her neck happily. A single tear trickled from Mary's eye, dripping down her neck where Pitch gleefully sucked up the salty drop. A happy smile hit his face, knowing he was getting to her._

"_They were just scared men." Mary tried to tell herself, remembering the training Auryn had given her to control herself. Still, something something felt like it was writhing in her, trying to make her listen to Pitch. She groaned at the unpleasant and unfamiliar feeling. She glanced at Bunny, nearly smiling when she saw he was awake. But she was horrified to see he was having the same problem she had. His binds were just to tight. A low growl of frustration slipped from his throat before he could stop it. Pitch's attention turned to the large rabbit with a smirk._

"_Finally awake Rabbit!" He said, a little too happily. "Well good, I wouldn't want you to miss the main show." Both Bunny and Mary ceased moving for a moment, both knowing exactly what he was saying, and both horrified by the intention in his tone. Pitch, once noticing he had his audiences attention, smiled devilishly and looked down at Mary. "All those years wandering the world as an angry child...must have been so lonely Mary. Without anyone to hold you or touch you." Greed shone in his amber eyes as his lips hungrily sought for her own._

"_Get yer hands off her!" Bunny exclaimed._

"_Oh, but it's my realm. I can do anything I want here. Until you wake up, you're mine." Pitch smirked dangerously, making sure his eyes never left Mary's. "That first nightmare I gave you was just the tip of the iceberg. You're weak and entirely too tempting my dear." He gushed. Mary had tears trailing down her pale cheeks as a constant line of cusses came from Bunny. "You...are...mine." _

"Mary!" She jumped as Karma shook her awake. "You're bleeding." Karma pointed to Mary's palms, where her nails had dug into her skin so deep that blood was covering her hand.

"N-nightmare." Mary said dismissively.

"About Pitch." It wasn't a question.

"He was touching me all over. Making me kiss him. And making my head feel like it liked it." She admitted, tear rimming her eyes. Karma nodded, her eyes suddenly serious.

"I didn't always look this age, ya know." Mary quirked an eyebrow. That came out of nowhere. She wondered why Karma was bringing this up.

"Of course you didn't. I'm sure you looked one, two, three, and four years old first." She, hopefully, didn't sound condescending when she said it.

"No, I mean I was older when I was made immortal. I was nineteen when MiM chose me. I was another charity case." Mary felt like she should be offended by the statement that she was a charity case, but let it slide for the moment. "I reverted to this age because even when I was alive, I never wanted to grow up. I thought being a kid was the best thing ever. Until my daddy told me I needed to grow up. He locked me in a room with a boy from the village. He wouldn't let me out. Not until I lost my virginity. Became a woman instead of a girl.

"I ran away after he let me out. I was so sad, so broken, that I wandered aimlessly for near a week without food or shelter. But when I finally got hold of some food, I gave it away. I think that's why he changed me. Cuz that stupid loaf of bread I gave away when I had nothing. I went to sleep, hoping I wouldn't wake up, but when I did, no one could see me. No one could hear me or feel me. I remembered everything though. And I realized I was immortal, so I set to work.

"First thing I did was spoil all the food or drink my daddy touched. He got real sick before I decided to leave him alone. And the boy who took my flower tripped one day. Broke his leg. Never walked right again. But then I saw a little boy being picked on. I got all the bullies to pee themselves and I helped the boy get all the girls to like him. I think that made MiM happy because he then told me my name was Karma. And that I was going to be responsible for turning the tide of a persons life. Bad people who had it good would suddenly reap the fruits of their rotten lives. And the picked on and oppressed would get a little touch of luck.

"Over the years, I guess I've misused a few of my powers. Sometimes I'm vindictive. Everyone thinks Karma is bitch but Lady Luck is sweet. Truth is, we're the same." She stopped, her face drooping a bit with memories and sadness. Mary bit her lip slightly and shuffled nervously.

"What are you telling me this?" She asked gently. Karma smiled ruefully.

"You're not the only one who's felt these feeling Mary. Feeling alone or broken. But come on, I didn't turn out to bad. And anyway, you need to snap out of this funk so I can give you your present. Just wait until-" She abruptly stopped when the soil above the mystery plant trembled a little. Karma watched in amazement as a thin green ribbon slowly rose from the soil, getting thicker as it grew. Leaves peeled off the stem, blooming into umbrellas of the richest green. The whole plant smelled like silence and looked like sleep. She felt motionless just watching it grow. It stopped at about four feet, just stopped. But Karma couldn't stop looking at it. "What...what is it?" She asked with awe.

"It's a Pollito Plant. It has paralytic leaves, the only things in the world that can paralyze immortals. Lethal to mortals, but completely safe in low doses to us." Mary explained, touching a big green leave with a slim pale finger. She looked at her creation lovingly. "If even a piece of the leaves gets inside one of us, it'll take months before they can move, unless it's removed. And the juice within the stem can permanently put someone in a coma like state." She went on. Karma's face got really happy suddenly.

"You could use it on Pitch!" She shouted excitedly. Mary got wide eyed in shock at her outburst, but then a guilty look shadowed her eyes.

"Uh...yeah." Karma stopped rejoicing at her tone.

"It is...for Pitch...right?" She asked, almost afraid of what Mary would say.

"You don't understand. Immortals in a paralyzed state are basically dormant. Sleeping. But they can't dream. No good dreams, but more importantly, no nightmares. None. If I just took one leaf...Pitch wouldn't be able to manipulate me. You'd all have a better chance of fighting him if I'm not in the way and he doesn't have control over me." She sounded almost pleading. Like she was begging Karma to understand.

"You're running away." Karma frowned.

"What? No! I'm trying to help you! Pitch is obviously focusing on me, so if I was out of the equation, you could-"

"You're running away." Apparently there was no arguing with her. Mary's head bowed in a sort of shame. She _was_ trying to hide from it all. But she didn't want them to think she was. She just couldn't take any of this anymore. And she'd used the Pollito plant before, back when she was Bloody Mary. When she'd have really bad dreams and end up taking out her anger on whole villages. She'd find the nearest Pollito leaf and go under for _months_.

"I just...I want to sleep and wake up to everything being better." She admitted, tears slowly dripping from the sides of her eyes. Karma sighed.

"The only way it'll get better is if you help them. I know they all think Auryn is gonna be the big help and all, but come on. This plant, could be the answer to all of it. But not for you. It's your choice Mary, but they need you. Awake and helping. And besides, I have a present for you." Mary cocked her head to the side, confused. Karma grinned and snapped her fingers. With a poof of unnecessary glitter, Pitch Black appeared about a yard away. Hog tied and gagged and not very happy about it. Mary jumped up, alarmed, but Karma only smiled.

"How did you-"

"Supreme decision over everyone's life, remember? Look this is your chance. Give him the plant. Just the tip of a lead. And Auryn can brainwash him while he's paralyzed. Or, take a leaf yourself and keep running from those horrible men the rest of your life. Always letting them get the better of you." Karma was...taunting her? Oh that was just evil. Mary glowered at the girl but slowly walked over to the plant. Stroking one of the smallest leaves, she murmured comforting words to her plant. She had to, otherwise it would hate her for pulling one of the magically intoxicating leaves.

After pulling off the leave and pacifying her plant, she walked slowly up to Pitch, who was glaring at her and cussing behind the gag. Mary carefully pulled off the top ¼ inch of the leaf before she pulled the gag off Pitch's lips. Karma glanced between the two and, content that Mary would be giving him the paralyzing plant and not herself, ran off to get the Guardians.

"I was doing it for you." Pitch hissed just before Mary went to put the leaf between his lips.

"What?" Her voice was small. Curious.

"Look at you. The most beautiful immortal besides Aphrodite. Beautiful, but weak. I was trying to give you the power you _had_. As bloody Mary." He explained bitterly.

"I don't want that power." She frowned. He too frowned, but his was more angry.

"You're a fool." She didn't doubt that he thought so.

"Maybe. But when I was young, my mommy told me to never let a man hurt me, or control me. And I'll be damned if I let you control or hurt me." She growled. He glowered, but then a small smile touched his lips that made her pause. With a chuckled he sat up so his lips were right by her face.

"Will you still hate me when I'm _good_?" He spat out the word like a curse. She looked at him right in his golden eyes.

"No." She decided. The smile barely twitched, but did none the less.

"And...will you still not love me?"

"Yes." She replied definitely.

"Because of the rabbit." Pitch's smile vanished, being replaced by an almost animalistic baring of teeth. Mary didn't want to admit it, but she was almost frightened by how strong he was even bound to the neck with Karma's ropes. She wanted to get this over with.

"I'll always choose him." She agreed, pushing the leaf between his gray lips before he could speak. The change was immediate. He went rigid, his eyes widened, and barely a breath moved his chest. Mary backed away from the paralyzed King slowly, her mind racing. He knew he was about to be changed. But the last thing he asked was about her. The last touch of shadow that would haunt Kozmotis Pitchiner had demanded to know if she would love him when he was good. She wasn't sure what to make of it. But she knew even if Pitch Black was gone, she wasn't getting rid of this man who was infatuated with her. But, she thought with relief, she wasn't getting rid of Bunny either.

She heard the Guardians coming from far off, running steps following the excited Karma. With one more look at Pitch, she turned and vanished from the site, searching for a new place to be alone. Just for a little while longer. Before all hell broke down and she would be expected to be happy.


	11. Chapter 11

_What's up! So, I hate to be the bringer of bad news, but this is the last chapter my homies. I know, I know it's super sad that it's ending and your lives will never be the same. But, I hope you've liked my story long enough to get to the end with me. And I hope you'll like the final chapter. I tried to put feels in it, but I don't know how well I did. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this last chapter!_

OOOOO

"Mary." She looked up from her painting at the reformed Pitch Black. She knew it was Kozmotis Pitchiner now, as that was his name before the shadows took him, but she thought it would probably take some time before she could see him not as Pitch Black anymore. He tried to smile at her, but she just looked back down at her painting. She was doing watercolor studies of all her plants. Her plot had bloomed nearly ten different plants over the last few days. And she was able to do it alone too, as all the others were so interested in the process of turning Pitch good. She'd seen it before. She'd felt it before. So she had refrained from being in attendance, instead pruning her plants. "May I sit?" Kozmotis asked.

"If you like." She finally whispered. He took a seat next to her beneath the shade of the tree near Tooth's mural pond. He was close enough that he could watch her paint, but not too close that she would be uncomfortable. They simply sat there for a long time. Mary painting and Kozmotis watching. In almost a companionable silence, if only Mary could see him as a companion. She had said she wouldn't hate him when he was good. And she didn't. But she was still uncomfortable. Not only with Kozmotis, but with everyone.

"They are all worried about you." He murmured quietly. She knew that they were. Karma had told them about her nightmares, the contend of the dreams, and also about her intentions with the Pollito Plant. North had wanted to get rid of the plant, but Bunny had stood up for Mary's green child very fervently. Mary had thanked him for that, but she was still distancing herself from them. And none of them could quite understand why. Well, maybe Karma, but she had disappeared pretty soon after Pitch was turned good.

"They shouldn't be." Mary lied. What she meant was that she didn't want them to be worried about her. She wanted them to be happy that they had won.

"I'm sure they don't enjoy being worried." Kozmotis pointed out. She paused in her brushstroke, but not long enough to run her painting. Kozmotis caught the hesitation though. "And I know you don't want them to be worried. So why don't you talk to them about it?"

"What is there to talk about? The threats gone. Everyone is back to normal and the good guys won. Woo-hoo. And Auryn will go back to her village. And I'll go back with her. And they'll forget about us." There was no missing the hitch in her voice at her last sentence. More particularly, Kozmotis thought to himself, Bunny would forget about her. Or she was afraid he would. He reached out and took her hand that wasn't painting. It was a little awkward, but Mary made no move to withdraw her hand.

"You don't have to go with Auryn, Mary. You're not her shadow any more than you are weak. You can stay with Bunny. Make a life with him. And make something of your talents." He gestured off towards her plot. A tiny smile graced her lips as she looked at the pride and joy of the plot. She'd planted it the same time as the Pollito Plant, but it had taken another day to sprout. It was a beautiful flower plant, but the flowers were made of elements. Her favorite bloom was the fire bud. She'd only managed to grow the Earth's Flower one time before, and she'd used the magic of the buds to help the children in Auryn's village, when Auryn was worried they were all doomed. Now, she didn't know what she would use the magic for.

"You don't understand." She said quietly. He looked right into her eyes, leaving her no room to escape his gaze.

"I understand everything Mary. You're afraid to leave Auryn, and you're afraid to be with Bunny. But you're more afraid to not be with him. You're tearing yourself up trying to decide what to do, and you're leaning towards going home and pretending nothing happened, because you're afraid Bunny will hurt you. But you can't live your life based on what you're afraid of. Trust me, I've seen fear completely destroy lives. Pitch Black did much of the destroying. And I'm not proud of what I did as Pitch Black. So I'm trying to make it up by convincing you to do what you really think is right." He gently took his hand off of Mary's and stood to leave. But the girl took hold of his pant leg before he could go.

"Before you were changed, you asked me if I would still not love you." She stated. He looked at her for a long moment, his heart sinking down into his chest.

"And you said you would always not love me. Because of Bunny. I remember." He sighed sadly. Mary shrunk at all the emotion in his voice. He was truly miserable with the thought that she would never love him. She could hardly believe that this was the same man who had become Pitch Black. It had to be someone else. Someone completely different.

"I was wrong. I do love you Kozmotis. But not like I love Bunny. Thank you." He looked shocked and didn't budge when she let go of his pants leg.

"Why are you thanking me?" He murmured, barely above a whisper.

"You made me grow up. And then gave me some sound advice on how to keep growing up." She smiled, just the smallest amount, but even the tiniest of smile made Kozmotis' heart flutter. "I love you I guess in the same way North loves Ombric. And I guess, the more I see you, the more I'll love you." She promised, and she could see hope blooming in his eyes. He gave her a gentlemanly bow before turning and walking away. Mary watch him go until he disappeared and then returned to her painting.

_I would call you guys cute if it weren't for a particular Pooka I know you like._

Mary jumped visibly at Auryn's sudden presence. She glanced at the smirking girl, who appeared to be sunning a few feet away from Mary, looking like she'd been there all along. Mary gave her an annoyed scowl, but she knew Auryn was just teasing her.

"When are you going back to the village?" Mary asked, not even really realizing that she had just admitted to not going with Auryn. But Auryn notices.

_I was going to leave in three days, after kindly declining a place with the Guardians. And you, when will you be moving into the Warren? _

A bright blush colored Mary's cheeks and she looked at Auryn with fierce eyes.

"I'm sure I don't know what you're insinuating. But, I did mean to ask you if you would mind me staying behind. Just for a bit, to figure out if I could last on my own."

_I wouldn't mind at all, my dearest friend._

They looked at each other for a long moment before Auryn got up.

_Come on, there's someone who want to talk to you._

"Auryn, I don't know if-"

_Not another word. If you can talk to Kozmotis Pitchiner and me, then you can talk to the love of your life._

She narrowed her eyes slightly and a shiver ran up Mary's spine. She did not want to see an agitated Auryn, so she put down her brush and pad and let Auryn help her up. Auryn chattered about the village and about the kids and how excited she was to be getting back as they walked. Auryn appeared to have no general direction in mind as she walked, but Mary knew better than to doubt the annoying girl. And sure enough, after a good five minute leisurely walk, Mary was staring at Bunny. He was sitting on the edge of a balcony, looking out at the valley surrounding the Tooth Palace and he hadn't noticed them yet. Auryn smiled at Mary, sending her a parting thought of, _Good Luck_, before walking away. Mary stood rooted to the spot for a good minute before she summoned the bravery to walk the rest of the distance to Aster.

The Easter Bunny was painting an egg, constantly looking back up at the valley and then back at his work of art. He was trying to get all the color to contrast and stun, the way they did in the valley, but Mary could see he was having trouble. She could see, just from the way his brow was furrowed and how his hair was raised on his back, that he was upset at something and it was interrupting his work. And, she realized, it was probably her cold behavior that was doing it.

"Aster?" The Pooka jumped so violently that the egg flew from his paws and out into the air. They both watched it go until it was just a speck, and then Aster looked at her. "Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you." She couldn't suppress the giggle that formed over the whole situation. Aster grinned at the giggle, and patted the seat next to him.

"I was afraid you were never gonna speak to me again. You've hardly said two words to any of us." He admitted with pain in his eyes. Mary looked down, but took a deep breath and looked back up.

"I was wrong to shut you out. All of you. Especially you. I was scared." She admitted.

"And...now?" He dared to ask, apprehension in his tone.

"I'm still scared. Hell, I think I'm more scared now than before. But I'm scared because I want things. I want to do things and be with people and help people and be myself instead of Auryn's shadow or the shadow of an angry child." It all whooshed out in one breath, but Bunny nodded, keeping up barely. "The thing is, I've been running and hiding from things a long time. After I became Bloody Mary, I ran a lot. I was maliciously happy being evil, but not at my core, because I was always running. And then, when I was forced to face my true heart because of Auryn, it hurt. So I hid. I stayed right there in that village with Auryn, hiding my face. And now that I've changed again, I just want to go home and hide again. But I can't." His ears perked up.

"So...you're not going with Auryn?" He asked, not meaning to sound so hopeful, but he was none-the-less. She shook her head slowly.

"No I'm staying here for a while. At least, I hope I can. I haven't asked Tooth yet." She said awkwardly. Bunny didn't miss a beat.

"Stay with me. Please. The Warren needs a woman's touch anyway." He was blushing, but he would never admit it. But, somehow Mary knew he was. Maybe it was the way his ears went back slightly, or how his nose twitched. She was getting remarkably good at identifying little things about him.

"Aster, you already know I love you. Why are you blushing?" She asked, putting her hand on his cheek. He leaned into her touch happily, his nose twitching some more.

"Only you can see it when I blush." He murmured. "You know me that well." He leaned forward, sniffing her slightly. Mary was a bit caught off guard, but didn't flinch. "Please stay with me Mary. I love ya." Her heart jumped to her throat, and she immediately put her arms around him to bring him close to her. They sat like that for a long time, just locked in an embrace, Mary silently accepting his offer.

OOOOO

_MiM is certainly taking his time._

The eight of them were all thinking the same thing, but only Auryn was brave enough to say something. Well...kinda say something. She's declined his offer earlier in the morning, and he then announced he would choose a new Guardian in Auryn's place, and that she should stay for the new choosing.

Mary fidgeted uncomfortably and Bunny pulled her closer to him. They were sharing an armchair, despite Mary saying how silly it was. And Kozmotis wasn't too happy about it, but he didn't say anything. The two couches were filled with Auryn, Jack, Tooth, Sandy, and Koz. And North had another big armchair to himself. There was plenty of room for Bunny or Mary to sit on one of the couches, but the second they had decided to sit to wait for MiM's response, Bunny had dragged her to the armchair and sat her down on his lap. Apparently he adored affection and intimacy. And she wasn't necessarily complaining, but it was weird. Sometimes she swore it was just to piss off Kozmotis.

"Has this ever happened before? Where a person has turned down a position?" Mary asked.

"Jack was the closest to a refusal that we got. And well, you see how that turned out." Tooth gestured to said frost spirit, who grinned

"Do you think he'll choose on of us?" Mary gestured to herself and Kozmotis. No one said anything for a long moment, then North cleared his throat.

"It is possible that Manny may feel fit to choose one of you. Or maybe both of you. Or neither. We can never really be sure of Manny's decisions. But, should he call on you, would you accept the calling?" He asked, his eyes bright with curiosity. Mary glanced at Koz, who glanced at her.

"I don't see why I wouldn't." Mary shrugged.

"I doubt he'd choose me, but who would I be to say no? I'm no Auryn Autumn." He smiled slightly at the mentioned girl, and she smiled right back. They had become fast friends, Auryn and Koz. But Mary wasn't really surprised. She would be more surprised if they didn't become friends. Silence settled over them again and Bunny amused himself by memorizing Mary's face. Like he hadn't done so already.

_I'm so bored! _

They all let out little sounds of agreement. Mary was about to say something when a warm feeling washed over her. Everyone else felt it too, and they all looked to the skylight to see that MiM had finally showed up again. They all scrambled up to circle the beam of light that radiated down to them. The panel slid away and the crystal rose, but instead of a Mary or Koz's image, Man in the Moon's featureless body appeared.

"Hello friends. After due consideration, I have decided on the new Guardian, since Auryn Autumn has declined being chosen." Mary glanced at Auryn, but the stubborn Autumn girl refused to look embarrassed or intimidated by the frankly intimidating man...body...thing. Instead she looked just as curious as the others to learn who the next Guardian would be. "I have decided...that Mary shall be the next Guardian. A Guardian of Change and a Guardian of Growth, two very important things that children must face eventually. Mary, I made you immortal a very long time ago. But you did not really accept that until recently. And you have become something far more impressive than I could have ever imagined." He spoke directly to her, and she could feel everyone's eyes on her. But for some reason, she didn't mind. And she didn't stop looking at MiM.

"You believe I am Guardian material?" She whispered. The figure nodded slowly. "Then I believe it as well. I accept." He nodded again and like that, he was gone. Mary blinked at the empty air where he once was for a second before she was viciously attacked by Auryn and brought into a bone breaking hug.

_I knew it would be you! Oh Mary I'm so glad for you! You're going to be an amazing Guardian!_

The others quickly gave their congratulations as well, even Kozmotis. They each hugged her, Bunny waiting to be last so he could keep her the longest. He held her as North rushed to get his book with the oath in it.

"Are you happy?" He whispered in her ear.

"I am." She whispered back. She could tell he was smiling as he hugged her even closer. The oath went quickly, and then Auryn announced that she had to be going home. Mary was reluctant to see her go, but what could she do? Auryn belonged with her village. And now Mary belonged with Bunny. They had to go separate ways. Still, it was hard for her to let go of the girl who had changed everything for her. Jack and Sandy left with Auryn, Sandy making her a nice seat in his sand plane so Jack wouldn't have to hold her.

_Goodbye my dearest friend._

"Goodbye Auryn." Mary thought she might cry, if it wasn't for Bunny standing right beside her. The two waved to each other until Mary couldn't see them anymore.

"Are you staying for feast Mary?" North asked excitedly. She glanced at Bunny and smiled.

"I think I'm going to go home for a bit. Can we feast tomorrow?" North nodded knowingly, and asked Tooth to join him in "making splendid preparations for newest Guardian!". Only Kozmotis, Mary, and Bunny still stood there.

"Congratulation Mary." He smiled, but it was sad. Mary couldn't help but think she knew what he was going through in that moment.

"What's gonna happen to you now? I mean, where are you living?" She asked concerned. He made a noise, like a moan or a whimper mixed together. She took his hand. "It's okay to be afraid." She whispered, and he chuckled.

"Imagine. The Boogeyman, scared."

"You're not the Boogeyman anymore. You're Kozmotis Pitchiner. And even though you don't have the official title, I believe you are a Guardian." Mary told him with genuine affection radiating through her tone. She felt sort of connected to Kozmotis in this moment. She knew exactly how it felt to be cleaned out the way he had been. She knew how alone and scared she felt after Auryn changed her. And she knew Koz was feeling the same.

"What could I possibly be the Guardian of?" He asked, disbelief in his voice.

"You're the Guardian of Honor. I remember Kozmotis Pitchiner, not very well, but I remember he was very honorable. And now, after everything Pitch Black did, you are still standing strong and trying to make amends. You're doing the honorable thing and correcting your actions." She could see his eyes brighten with every word she said.

"I know I'm glad you're back." Bunny stated, patting Koz on the shoulder. Kozmotis glanced between the two of them, heaviness dampening his brightening eyes.

"You two look...good...together." They could all tell how hard it was for him to say that. And while Mary didn't want to torture him, she just naturally reached for Bunny's hand. And, she was relieved to find, his hand was waiting for hers. He would always be there for her. He promised her.

"Do you know where you'll live." She was prepared to offer him a room in the Warren, though she thought it might be a little painful for him to see her with Bunny every day.

"North has offered me a room here until I figure everything out." He explained, and they all looked relieved that the Warren didn't have to be offered.

"Well, I know you'll get everything figured out perfectly. And if you ever need help, you know where to find me." He nodded, that dull pain returning to his eyes. He wanted to be able to find her by his side. But he knew that she was Bunny's and Bunny was hers. And Mary respected how he was accepting that. "We'll see you tomorrow at the feast?"

"Wouldn't miss it. Goodbye Aster. Goodbye Mary." He bowed slightly, apparently accustomed to bowing to ladies, and then stepped back so as not to fall into the tunnel. Mary gave Bunny a kiss on the cheek before climbing onto his back. She waved to Koz just before Bunny jumped into his tunnel. Soon enough they were standing in the Warren, in front of Bunny's burrow. Mary hadn't seen the burrow the last time she was there. But, she heard that only a Pooka's mate was generally allowed in the burrow.

"Can I come inside?" She asked sarcastically.

"In a second. I wanna show you something." He smiled devilishly and told her to close her eyes. Very carefully he led her down a small path at the side of his burrow that led to a fairy large meadow. Bunny had been working in the meadow for the last couple of days, after all the drama had ended. He'd spent hours making it ready for Mary, as a homecoming gift. He moved her so she would get the full view, then happily told her to open her eyes. She blinked a couple of times before she could fully take in what she saw. A rectangle, although an uneven one, of the ground had been transformed into a plot, and the soil shined with health and minerals that would produce magnificent plants. Mary slowly walked up to her plot, letting the dirt get between her toes and feeling the life of the soil soak into her. She could always tell if the ground would be good, and this ground was perfect.

"Aster." She said softly. The pooka was watching her with a smile, love struck smile on his face a few feet away. But when she said his name, he closed the space between her and kissed her with such a passion that Mary was surprised for a moment. "This is beautiful." She finally whispered once the kiss ended.

"You can plant whatever you want. You can spend all your days in this bloody garden if you want." He said, a smile tugging on his lips. Mary looked around at her plot and the wonderful meadow surrounding it. It was well secluded and peaceful. But as wonderful as it was, it paled in comparison to the man in front of her.

"I wasn't only talking about the plot. This, what we have, is beautiful." She explained, her smile small on her lips, but absolutely radiant in her eyes. Bunny's own smile grew bigger at her words and he kissed her deeply again.

"You're beautiful Mary. You're stunning. Inside and out."

"And you, my Pooka, are the perfect man for me. I wouldn't choose another if I had the pick of the whole lot." He blushed, and only Mary could tell.

"Please tell me this will last. Tell me it will last for longer than forever." He begged.

"Until the sun rises in the west and sets in the east*. Until the entire Earth swallows itself and longer. Until the entire universe sighs it's last breath. And then, we'll find another universe to love each other in." She promised. He sighed in contentment and picked her up bridal style.

"Then, my love, we have a lot of time to fill."

"Yes, my love. We do."

OOOOO

_Ta-Da! Well, what do you think? And, do you want an Epilogue? Just a short thing about what all happens to the different characters and couples? Leave me a review if you do or if you have suggestions. But, if you guys like it where it is, it has been a pleasure writing for you. Feel free to stalk my profile or read my other stories. I love you all!_

_*I totally couldn't resist a little Game of Thrones reference. If you get it, I love you more than the others. If not...go sit in a corner and think about what you...haven't done! Just kidding, I love you too. _


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